Beginning
by BrenMichelle
Summary: A new character in'V', Christien Elise Matcliff came to be over 20 years ago and I am finally writing her story from the beginning. The story also includes your favorites! Also this is fanfic I have no claim to any of the original characters or story.
1. Chapter 1

The plane fell from the sky, centered on the TV screen as though the reporter knew exactly where the explosion would take place. The camera followed the plane as it slowly fell, flames spouting from every crevice one wing missing into the Pacific Ocean just off the coast of California. Christien Elise Matcliff rewound the video and played it again, watching her family's death for the tenth time.

"Enough." The tall slender man stepped into the room and pushed stop on the VCR and ejected the video tape. "You cannot watch this anymore." He took the tape and left the young girl sitting on the bed in the pale pink bedroom.

"Matthew!" She screamed after him, scrambling off the bed and almost falling as her feet tangled in the blankets that had fallen. "Give that back!"

"Miss Christien." Matthew stopped and turned to face her in the hallway. "I will not allow you to sit here any longer and watch this tape." He held the tape up to her face. "You are fifteen years old and as your legal guardian I say what is right for you and watching this plane explode over and over is not it." He waved the tape in front of her nose and then let out a sigh.

I was supposed to be on that plane." She whined.

Matthew held his face from expressing the concern he truly felt. "Yes but instead you complained about how boring it was to travel to California for business, insisting that you should stay home and practice." He laid a hand on her shoulder. "If you had been on the plane you would have died."

"I yelled at her because I wanted to stay home with K.C." She screamed at him. "Matthew, I yelled at my mom." The momentary anger slipped away and her bottom lip trembled, tears tumbled out of her eyes and down her cheeks.

"I know." He pulled her to his chest. "I know all of it, but the plane crash was not your fault."

"You knew?" She asked through her tears pulling back to look at his face.

"Yes and so did your mother." He smiled down at her. "Did you think I was just being nice when I offered to have K.C. here for dinner last night? She asked me to keep an eye on the two of you since he was a little older."

"She knew I wasn't mad at her?"

Matthew nodded, brushing away a curl from her eyes. "She knew, Crissy everyone knew about the two of you, even your brother who encouraged K.C to ask you out on a date."

Criss pulled away and started to walk toward the kitchen, the large picture windows of the formal living room were open and she glanced out only to see a number of news vans, and paparazzi standing in the grass. "Matthew!" She screamed dropping to the floor and praying that she was not in any of the photos. "There are people outside."

Matthew stepped into the room and walked over to where Christien crouched on the floor. He helped her to stand and then covered her under his jacket and walked her into the kitchen. "I will take care of them and then you and I need to make some decisions." He instructed her to stay in the kitchen and left the room.

Criss pulled a box of cereal from the cupboard and then sat on the floor her back against the fridge and ate handfuls of cereal as tears rolled down her cheeks. After a few dry bites that stuck in her throat she gave up the cereal and pulled her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around them and buried her head in her legs and began to sob.

"Criss?" The hysterical female voice came streaking into the kitchen. Criss felt familiar arms circle her and it only set to increase her sobs. "I am so sorry."

"Mandy. They. Are. Dead." She said between sobs pulling her face up to look into the brown eyes of her best friend.

Tears streamed down Mandy's cheeks. "I came as soon as I seen the news, the reporter said you were on the plane."

"It was Matthew's idea to keep me out of the paper's headlines." Criss replied through sniffles.

"I was so afraid that you changed your mind and didn't stay home." Mandy hugged her again. "I came back soon as I could get a ride back."

Criss pulled away and scrubbed her face with the sleeve of her sweat shirt. "How was the class? Did you have fun?" She asked and tried to smile.

Mandy shrugged. "Utah is okay, but I don't know if I really want to study communications or if I want to go to medical school. But it was funny watching all those college kids do breathing exercises and make sounds like pigs." Mandy made deep breathing and snorting sounds, Criss giggled. "If that's what I have to do to be professional speaker then I might be rethinking my career choice." She made a few more jokes until Criss giggled a bit more. "I am sorry I wasn't here when you heard."

"I didn't hear. I watched, they played it over and over it was like the reporter knew exactly where the plane was going to crash." New tears gathered on both their cheeks. "He was going to tell the Visitors that he did not want to use his California factories to process their chemicals."

"But I thought that your dad was excited about the potential business with the Visitors, why did he change his mind?" Mandy leaned back against the fridge her shoulder against Criss. She reached across her for the box of cereal and dug in for a handful.

"I heard him say that his chemist had doubts on the Visitors and that the tests he had run were not giving him the results he wanted. He didn't know I was there he would have been so angry if he had known I was standing outside his office. It was sometime last week and I wanted to tell him about my date with K.C. but he was on the phone all night and he looked really unhappy all day." Criss closed her eyes and leaned her head back against fridge door picturing the time clearly.

Her father a tall dark haired man who rarely ever frowned and seemed to have something nice to say to everyone he met had spent the entire day first in meetings with his board then on the phone with more of his business partners. Several times that day Criss had tried to talk to him to apologize for the fighting with him the night before, for being angry about his work, only he was too busy for her to get his attention. The conversation he was having seemed different than any other she had overheard, he seemed angry and stressed not even joining the family for dinner. The Visitors had landed early in the spring and for over eight months the entire globe had been in an uproar. The seemingly perfect aliens had offered everything that humans could ask for including the possibility of future space travel and the knowledge that life existed outside of our planet. They asked for very little help and according to her father, the stock market and everything associated with the Visitors was made of gold. But in the last month he seemed different, shutting his office door when he talked on the phone; missing her meets, skipping dinner, and keeping Matthew in his office until all hours of the night. Her mother was worried too, but she continued with everything like normal. Criss was surprised when her mother agreed to let her stay home instead of joining her family for a business slash vacation trip to California. Criss had begged to stay home explaining that she needed to practice harder to make the Olympic team and that she would not be able to continue her practice with her coach while on the road. It wasn't true, she was a sure in on the team and practicing gymnastics would be easy anywhere they went, her father and his bank account saw to that. The only thing that could keep a teenage girl in Idaho and not in the stores in Los Angeles was a boy, K.C.

The phone rang and Criss jerked startled by the sound. The kitchen looked so surprisingly normal that she almost waited to hear her mom come hurrying into the room and then scold her for not answering the phone. The phone rang for the fourth time and she pushed herself from the floor and walked across the tile, the phone cord was twisted and she smiled picking up the phone receiver.

Matthew grabbed the phone from Christien's hand before she could speak. "Matcliff residence." He spoke sharply. "Thank you for your concern." He said after a moment of listening. "Yes Mr. Smith I am taking control of the Matcliff Corporation effective immediately. No we will not be opening the California plant for processing at this time." Matthew turned and glared at the girls gesturing for them to leave the room. Criss shook her head and waited. "I can assure you that as the Matcliff's lawyer and friend I am intimately aware of their desires concerning their estate and company. You may dispute my choices at the board meeting after the funeral and the reading of the will." Matthew hung up the phone.

"Why?"

He turned to look at Criss. "What? I took the phone because we need to talk about what will happen if it is known that you are still alive."

"Why didn't my father want to do business with the Visitors?" Criss stared at him, waiting.

"Christien, your father was an excellent business man he did not feel it was in the company's best interest to continue with the arrangement."

"Bull Shit." Criss hissed quietly. "If I didn't love you so much Matthew it might look like you want me dead so you can have the company. But I know you. I know you won't leave me or Mandy alone in this so why do I need to be dead Matthew? What aren't you telling me?" She stepped forward and placed a hand on his chest. "You are all I have now, don't lie to me."

Matthew placed his hand over hers and met her gaze. "Your father and I have been reviewing the information about the Visitors." Matthew ran a hand through his hair and turned away walking to the sink and leaning forward. He looked out the small window behind the sink into the back garden of the estate. "You know that your great-grandparents took in my father and that your dad and I were raised as brothers." He didn't wait for her answer and continued. "When I went to law school and your dad took over the family business we promised each other that no matter what we would stick together, here in this house." He let out a sigh and turned around leaning against the counter. "Your dad got married had you kids and the business thrived. We never thought life could get better."

"But you, why did you stay here working like a butler?" Criss asked confused. "You served us food and lived in the house as a servant, I don't understand if you're our lawyer why didn't you practice law and stuff?" Criss shook her head. "You always acted like being a butler was all you could do. It was so confusing."

"I did practice law. I was your dad's secret weapon." Matthew laughed, and stopped his voice catching on a sob. "Only I didn't know about this, I swear Christien if I had known there was any danger I would not have ever let any of them travel."

"Danger?" Criss screamed. "They said accident. What do you mean danger?"

Matthew heaved out a sigh. "The investigation I have been doing has shown that the Visitors do not seem to have our best interests at heart. Hundreds of people have disappeared, mostly in the cities that were being hit by low economic times." Matthew crossed the room and then paced back. "I didn't have proof, then that reporter guy, Mike Donovan took that video and I was able to see it before it was pulled off the TV. I knew there was something wrong with them."

"You think the Visitors killed my family?" Criss asked

"I don't know. But until I do, I am afraid that if you come out of hiding they will either kill you or they will kill me to get to you and I can't bear to leave you alone." His face for the first time was covered in tears and red splotches and Criss realized that he had lost the only family he had known as well.

Criss flung herself into his chest. "You are not going to lose me." She choked out holding onto him. "Please do whatever they want." She whispered into his chest.

"Miss Mandy." Matthew gestured for Mandy to join them. "You're part of this family too." Mandy joined them. "I promise you, both of you that I will not leave you."

He squeezed them and then leaned back. "There is no reason for you to continue this hiding if you don't want to."

Criss shook her head. "My parents, my brother. I want to know the truth; until we do I can't risk being seen. What did my parents leave for Mandy, is she in danger?"

Matthew shook his head. "No. They left Mandy some property, money and shares in the businesses but not enough to make her a voting partner." He smiled at Mandy brushing a tear from her cheek. "Your father and I wanted Mandy taken care of. You," He said looking at Mandy. "They wanted you taken care of if anything happened, he also wanted to make sure that your education was paid for, originally the business was split three ways. He changed it last week. We knew that you would be left alone if you received money but not if you controlled the company."

Criss shook her head and pulled away turning her back to Matthew unsure of what to think. Dead meant that everything in her life was gone, not just her family but her Olympic dreams, her friends, her chance of a future, she would have nothing but her life and money to live it. "I need time to think." She started to walk away, shaking off Mandy's hand and ignoring Matthew's voice.

The VCR tape of the crash rested on the dining room table where Matthew had dropped it in order to rescue the phone from her. Criss stopped and looked at the tape, she glanced over her shoulder, Matthew and Mandy were talking quietly and without another thought she picked up the tape and fled to her parents' room.

Locking the door she walked over to the TV and inserted the tape. Making sure the volume was so low that they wouldn't hear she replayed the beginning of the crash just as her parents plane flew into view of the reporter's camera, fully intact before the explosion. She rewound the tape and paused it, then ran it forward frame by frame; just before the explosion a streak of green light came from the left hand side of the screen and looked as though it hit the front hand side of plane just as the plane exploded into flames. She rewound it again to make sure she hadn't let her eyes play tricks on her, and again the green light streaked into the plane. The second time she let the tape play through and after the plane fell into the ocean the camera man panned the camera to the right and only a short distance away was the huge mother ship that hovered over the city of Los Angeles. She felt her body begin to shake, a queasy fluttering in her stomach she pushed the stop button on the remote and rushed to the attached bathroom and threw up.

She rinsed her faced and then stared at herself in the mirror for the first time seeing small similarities in her expressions that her parents had passed onto her. The same gold color eyes her father had and the same long unruly blond hair her mother had. She knew that she and her brother had been fair haired and spoiled and that her parents spent as much time loving and spoiling them as they did working and keeping up the manufacturing corporations.

New tears streamed down her cheeks. Finally she turned away and walked back into the bedroom crawling onto her parent's bed curling up in the middle like she had when she was little and frightened and fell asleep.

"Miss. Christien." The knock at the door was more insistent the second time. "Are you alright?" Matthew's voice was gentle through door. "Please answer me." He begged.

"I'm sorry." Criss stumbled from the bed and opened the door. "I was asleep."

"You slept the entire night away already." Matthew smiled, "You needed the rest. Can you come eat something?"

Criss nodded and followed him out of the room. Mandy was in the living room watching TV she turned when they came in. "K.C. called a few times. He seemed worried and freaked out. Matthew explained to him what was going on."

Criss nodded and glanced at the TV. She rushed to the set and turned up the volume. A man she knew well, Mr. Daniel Smith the head of her father's Los Angeles office was standing next to a short brunette dressed in a Visitor's uniform. The news conference was live from somewhere in LA. "What is he doing?" She asked Matthew before the pair on the TV started to speak.

"I don't know you heard me tell him we are not making decisions right now."

Criss looked back at the TV. Mr. Smith expressed concern and sadness over the death of her family, he even shed a few tears and she almost believed him. "But there is no need to worry; I have been assured by Visitor Commander Diana." He gestured to the woman standing next to him "That the visitors are going to assist with the investigation. They will be helping to salvage the plane to ensure that the family can receive a proper respectful burial and to make sure that there was no foul play in the accident we witnessed yesterday." He smiled. "I have been given permission from Matcliff lawyers to announce that the Los Angeles Company will continue into agreements with the Visitors to manufacture the chemical that their planet so desperately needs. Our chemists, as well as independent contractors have been researching the chemical compound and they have found that not only is the chemical harmless but it is also abundant in our atmosphere and surface. The combination process is time consuming and challenging but I have been assured by our chemists and by the Visitors that not only is it safe, but it is also profitable and will help our new friends."

"Matthew, why would he do that?" Criss looked panicked over her shoulder. "They killed my family and he is doing business with them only a day after they died."

"He is acting out of order, but more I am worried about the Visitors salvaging the plane. Their technology is so much greater than ours. What if they are able to tell that you were not on the plane?" Michael started to walk into the kitchen to use the phone but stopped when Christien grabbed his arm, he looked back at the TV. The small brunette Visitor stepped up to the microphone.

"I am truly and deeply sorry for the loss of the Matcliff family. As the Chief Medical and Science Commander of the entire Visitor fleet I had been working very closely with Robert Matcliff to finalize our plans." Her face contorted into sorrow that looked both tragic and contrite. "The completion of this processing plant not only provides the economic boost that this area needs, but also brings to fruition the dreams of the Matcliff Cooperation President."

"Shit." Matthew hissed. "Now I am screwed.

"She did it." Criss whispered. She turned and ran back to her parents' bedroom and ejected the VCR tape and ran back into the living room. Matthew had left to room and she stopped to look around for him. "Where did he go?" She asked Mandy.

"He went to your dad's office to make phone calls and see if he could fix what just happened, why?"

"Watch this." Criss put in the tape and rewound it and played it frame by frame for Mandy. She looked back at Mandy. "Did you see it?"

"See what? The explosion?"

Criss shook her head. "Watch again." She replayed it.

"What is that green light?"

"You did see it." Criss let the video play and when the camera panned to the right, the same direction from where the green light came from. The Visitor mother ship came into view.

"Oh my God." Mandy hissed.

"It was them."

"Criss you can't be sure." Mandy walked over and took the VCR remote away from Christien and pressed the stop button. The press conference was still on, the petite visitor still answering questions looking sad and trying to smile at the same time. Criss stared into the blue eyes on the screen seeing something far more sinister that what was being said. Mandy picked up the remote for the TV and pushed the power button. "You can't prove it."

"Not yet."

"Criss, stop. You have the Olympic tryouts, and you are only fifteen years old."

"Mandy." Criss turned to look at her friend. "You forget dead people can't compete in the Olympics."

"Don't give up practicing yet." Matthew said from behind them. "If they figure out you were not on that plane and even if they don't I won't have you give up all of your dreams. A simple yet very public resurrection would give you the opportunity you need."

Criss shook her head. "Team tryouts are in six months." Her shoulders slumped.

"You already have enough competitions and wins in order to compete in the tryouts. Even if you hide for all six months." Mandy said.

"But my coach. How can I continue without my coach?" She looked up at Matthew.

Matthew laughed softly. "You forget who was with you when you heard the news. I think the only person who may love you as much as I do is Coach G."

Criss nodded. "Okay."

"Good. Now I will take care of the business. You just keep practicing and hanging with Mandy and you had better call K.C. so he stops worrying."

"I want to help." Criss whined. Running her hand down the back of K.C.'s shirt. "Why won't you let me?"

"Criss." K.C. turned around and smiled. He had spent the past five months splitting his time between her and then his new friends the local version of the resistance. Since Criss had shown him the video tape of explosion that had killed his best friend and her brother he had been actively seeking a way to get the Visitors out of their home town. The small group had been causing a lot of trouble for the Visitor friends group that ran out of the local high schools and for the group of Visitors that had settled in the towns. "What you don't understand is that people have disappeared from the smaller mountain towns all over the state. We are doing everything we can to get rid of the aliens but we are not getting far."

"Can't I help at all?"

"I can't lose you." K.C. looked into her soft golden eyes and pulled her to his chest for a brief embrace and then dropped a kiss on her mouth. "You are sixteen barely. I know that your brother was excited to see us together. Heck even your parents were okay with it, but I am nineteen. I have to keep you safe."

"Well at sixteen I think I am able to make a few choices of my own. After all I did pick you. I don't care what Rob wanted or my parents for that matter." She smiled up at him wrapping her arms around his neck. He shook his head his blond hair flopping over his blue eyes. "I picked you, not them." She insisted. "I want to help the resistance."

"You have Olympic Tryouts in two weeks, and your big resurrection next week." He shook his head. "I will not screw that up. If you got arrested you would be ruined."

"Fine. But maybe I can help with money?"

"I will let you know." He smiled knowing he had won the battle.

Criss studied herself in the full length mirror. The pale blue dress was made of silk and went almost to her chin, covering her shoulders and then plunging a few inches in the back. The dress was something she would never have chosen, Matthew had gone overboard with the modesty issue. The only skin showing was her arms from the elbows down and then the top of her back, but soft straight cut of the dress gave her an elegance that she had not expected. She looked older, more mature than her sixteen years. Matthew had thrown the benefit tonight in honor of her parents and to announce that she was alive and had been in mourning for the last six months and would continue competing in gymnastics.

Criss smiled, her blond curls falling unruly about her shoulders half way to her waste. She swayed her hips and watched as the silk swung around her legs. Imagine the looks on the faces of the other gymnasts. The girls who must think she was dead and that they might actually win a metal. She laughed, and wondered if it would be the short whiney brunette or the skinny redhead that wouldn't make the team because of her. It didn't matter; both of the girls were rude and didn't deserve to compete for the USA. After her 'death' the tabloids had printed several false stories about her supposed drug abuse, and partying. The two girls had come forward to give details. She had hated them and looked forward to setting the record straight. She only wished that she could make sure that neither of them competed in the '94 Olympics. It didn't matter though, she would be taking all of the medals anyway; her only true competition was a sweet Russian girl she had met two years ago.

"You look beautiful." Matthew said walking into her hotel room.

"Hey. You need to knock what if I didn't have my dress on?" She smiled at him.

"I told you to get dressed two hours ago. I took a risk." He leaned forward and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Are you ready to live again?" He asked taking her shoulders in his hands and looking at her. "Do you really need that much make-up you look too old."

"Matthew." She smiled. In the past seven months he had taken his guardianship far too seriously worrying over her every move and even working too hard to give her a sweet sixteen party when the only guests were her coach, K.C. and Mandy. "I think I know how the kids are doing their make-up these days." She smiled and teased playfully.

"Criss you have to see this." Mandy came bursting into the room from her adjoining suite. Criss stared at her bright blue taffeta dress that ended just above the knee in envy and let out a sigh. Leave it to Mandy to get the cool dress. Mandy turned on the TV. "Look, it's about the Olympics."

Criss had stopped watching TV shortly after her parents died. Ignoring all the news and TV shows, choosing instead to practice almost nonstop. "What's going on?" The head of the Olympics stepped up to the microphone and looked at the crowd her face a mixture of anger and sadness. "Mandy turn it up."

"It brings me great sadness to announce that the 1994 summer Olympics are canceled." She said without preamble. "Due to the recent attacks and bombings by the various groups around the world calling themselves The Resistance I feel that holding any more competitions or the event itself will cause more upheaval and useless deaths. To the athletes who have trained so hard to live out their dreams I am sorry. When the people of this planet learn to solve their disputes with words and not bombs and when they can accept that people from other countries or other worlds are not the enemy the Olympics can continue in the form they were originally intended." The woman didn't wait to answer questions or take comments she turned and left the stage.

Criss sank to the carpet staring at the TV long after Mandy had shut it off. She didn't hear the knock at the door or hear Mandy open it. She didn't notice Matthew stop K.C. from touching her, the only thing she could hear was the end of her last dream. "I want to go home." She whispered.

"You can still come out tonight." Matthew insisted.

"No." She shook her head. "No I would rather stay dead. They took away everything; I won't give them a chance to take you away also." She looked up at Matthew and then noticed that both K.C. and her coach had come into the room. "The games will continue in four years. I may be the oldest on the team but I won't give up. I can be alive then, for now I want to go home. You have to go to the benefit." Mandy stepped forward nodding and Criss brushed off her hand. "You too. They expect you. I am going to change my clothes and then I am going to drive home."

"You are not driving. I will have the jet fly you home. Mandy and I will catch a commercial flight tomorrow." Matthew looked at K.C. and her coach. "Who is going with her?"

"I will." K.C. said smiling. "Coach you go to the benefit. Today is as much a loss for you as it is for her."

"I will see you on Monday Coach." Criss tried to smile as she ushered all of them out of the room. K.C. stood in the doorway looking fabulous in his tuxedo; he stopped her from closing the door. "Go, we need to change."

"You look amazing." He whispered. "I am so sorry; I wanted to share this moment with you."

Criss met his eyes for a moment. "K.C. you know the window for a gymnast. This was my last Olympics. I am too tall and too old to wait four years. Even if I have the still have the skill, the judges would never score me high enough to make the team. If you won't let me help you fight with the resistance I will go where they will." She gently pushed his chest and then shut her door.

Criss pulled her long hair through the hole in a baseball cap and pulled on a pair of baggy sweats the same color of the silk dress she left lying on the floor of the hotel. She scrubbed the make-up off her face and pulled on her tennis shoes. Stretching she turned, leaving the room and everything she had once dreamt of behind.


	2. Chapter 2

"I don't want you involved!" Matthew yelled. The only answer he received was the slamming of the front door. "Cant you stop her?" He turned to Mandy who stood at the top of the stairs. "You're her best friend she is going to get killed."

"I tried. She won't listen to me. Matthew she believes that the Visitors are responsible for her parent's death, fighting with the resistance is the only way she feels useful."

"There is no evidence that the visitors had anything to do with the plane." He ran a hand through his hair. "I have done everything she asks." He said climbing the stairs slowly. "I give money and supplies. Why does she risk her life?"

Mandy shook her head. "Come here. I promised I wouldn't show you but I think it's time you see this." Mandy pulled out the video tape of the crash and played it for Matthew; showing him the green streak and the explosion and the correlation to the mother ship. "The green light must have come from the Mother Ship, it must be a weapon."

"Mandy." He started and then stopped letting out a breath. "Even so. We were lucky that Rob took his girlfriend and that he didn't tell anyone. The assumption is that Criss died on that plane." He looked at Mandy and realized that she no longer wanted to be protected or hidden either. "I will take the tape to someone I trust and have them review it." He said finally.

"Matthew I am starting classes in the fall. What is Criss going to do?"

"I hadn't thought of that." He responded realizing for the first time that not only had Christien given up her Olympic dreams but also her dreams of college and career.

"She can't apply, or go to campus locally." Mandy shrugged. "Have you thought that maybe the resistance is the only thing she can do?"

Criss dropped behind the box panting, the gun in her hand felt foreign and heavy. She peaked over the wooden panels and sighed seeing only K.C. coming around the corner. He streaked past her and it took a second for her to realize that he didn't know she had stopped. She stood and streaked after him, giving him a call. He paused and turned. "Criss! Get down." He yelled, and she dropped. The green flashed over her head and K.C. yelped.

"No!" She scrambled back to her feet dropping the gun he had given her and rushed to him pulling him up. "Run." She screamed at him pulling him forward. "We are almost out of the building a few more feet." She encouraged.

"Crissy, whatever happens don't stop running." K.C. gasped out trying to pull his arm from her.

"As long as you don't." She replied. She could hear the sound of their pursuers catching up to them. "They are not even close. Besides you are the big foot ball star you gonna let some stupid alien out run you?"

"I was the quarterback." He replied trying to stifle a groan as she tugged him faster. "It was Rob who was the running back."

"I could never understand the parts. But I promise you get us out of here and I will play cheerleader for you."

"Naked?" He asked.

"Naked." She promised.

K.C. finally managed to pull himself from her grasp and slipped to his knees. "Crissy run. Now." He demanded when she stopped. "They will only get me then and you can go."

"No." She dropped down in front of him, only then noticing the wetness on his t-shirt. She put her hand on his stomach and it came away wet and red. "No. Not you." She shook her head.

K.C. grabbed her arm squeezing. "Stop it. I knew what I was doing now get out of here."

"You are hurt because of me."

"You did not pull the trigger but if you don't run." He ran out of breath his free hand going to the bleeding spot on his stomach. He looked up at her, his blue eyes gray in darkness. "I am so sorry." He whispered. "Crissy I love." There was a hiss and K.C. fell forward against her knocking her back onto the ground.

Her hip burned from the impact of K.C and the ground. "K.C.?" She whispered. Trying to get him to move. He lay; his eyes closed his head awkwardly on her shoulder. "K.C.?" She asked again. "Get up. You can't sleep now we have to go." He moaned softly, but didn't move. "Please." She pleaded. Pulling on his shirt and his arms but his body still lay like dead weight on top of her.

"Stop!" The resonating voice yelled at her.

Criss looked up at the red and black clad Visitor and the laser riffle he was pointing at her. "He needs help." She whispered.

A second visitor joined the first and reached down grabbing K.C.'s arm and pulling him off of Criss' body. She felt suddenly lighter, ignoring the pain in her hip to watch as the second guard crouched to check K.C.'s pulse. "He's almost gone. No sense prolonging it." He stood pointed his hand weapon at K.C and fired.

Criss screamed, launching herself from the ground and into the visitor that had fired the shot. She scratched and punched at his face and then stopped seeing that his face had shredded beneath her nails. "You killed him." She started to hit the startled guard again only to have the other guard swing the butt of the riffle into the back of her head.

"Load her. She may have answers for Diana."

The room hummed and vibrated beneath her cheek. The cool floor was the only thing reassuring. Criss pried open her eyes and wished she hadn't when the room began to swing and spin wildly around her vision. Her stomach heaved, causing a burning sensation in her hip, she was grateful that there was nothing in her stomach to loose. She closed her eyes concentrating on her breathing, waiting for the room to slow down before opening her eyes again. Finally she was able to open her eyes and look around. The floor, walls and ceiling were white; everything looked the same. She pushed up onto her elbows and then forced herself to sit the pain in her hip taking her breath away. She placed a hand over what she thought was a bruise and started when her hand came away sticky and wet. Letting out a cry she slid to the wall and leaned back pulling up the corner of her black t-shirt, blood covered her stomach and her black jeans. She had to push down the jeans to see the wound, a bloody hole the size of a pencil just above her hip bone. Even as she watched blood dripped out of the wound, her stomach heaved again and she pulled the t-shirt down new tears streaming down her cheeks. K.C. was dead, and she would be too and there was no way she could tell Matthew what had happened. No way to apologize for getting K.C. killed.

The Visitor punched the buttons on the keypad and waited while the door to the cell slid open. The woman inside the room had been brought in the night before from a raid in the state of Idaho. She was huddled against the wall a large smear of blood on the floor in front of her. He shook his head. The woman had an injury more complicated than the bump on the head that had been reported. It would be impossible to help her escape now, he was glad he hadn't said anything as he stepped into the room. Hopefully he would be able to make her comfortable enough to pass quickly and avoid further punishment or interrogation. His footsteps echoed in the tiny room and her head flew up from her knees and he stopped as her pale gold eyes met his. She couldn't be more than sixteen, a child, her blond hair most of it having escaped the rubber band was ratted and stood out framing the soft oval face and the eyes that stared warily at him.

"What do you want?" She asked her voice soft but firm.

He stepped further into the room and crouched in front of her. "I am to here to look at your wounds and dress them."

"You're a doctor? Why?"

"A live prisoner answers more questions than a dead one. Where is the blood coming from?" He asked hoping to distract her from her line of questioning.

"My hip. What kind of questions?"

"You were arrested during a raid by known resistance members; Diana wants to know more about the local resistance."

The girl shook her head. "I don't know anything about the local resistance."

He looked over her black t-shirt and jeans and leaned back on his heels. "I am not here to interrogate you or to have a debate. Would you like me to help you or not?" He asked and then realized he shouldn't have given her the choice.

"I don't want your help." She said quickly.

He let out a sigh. "I suppose that I should not have phrased it as a question. You can either cooperate with my examination or I can bring in guards to help you cooperate."

Criss looked at the door where he had entered and then back at the man in front of her. She shook her head. "Get away from me." He reached to take her arm and she kicked out at him.

The door slid open and two guards stepped into the room. The doctor pushed himself to his feet and stepped back. He turned his back on the girl in the room, closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose. He wished he could block out her scream and the sounds of the scuffle from behind him the same way he blocked out the picture. Finally the noise stopped. "Okay doctor I believe your patient will be more compliant now."

George turned around the guards held the girl upright against the wall. She averted her eyes from his, her left eye already swelling and her lip bleeding down her chin and throat. Each guard held an arm and pressed her back against the wall. George stepped forward and lifted her t-shirt and pushed the edge of her jeans down. The laser blast was clean the wound was barely bleeding. He cleaned it quickly putting a bandage on it after checking to see if it had gone all the way through and it hadn't. He then turned his attention to her head the original injury reported. "Does your head hurt?" He asked, not expecting an answer.

"Yes." She replied meeting his gaze, her eyes flickering to each of the guards then back to him. "It hurts badly."

He checked both of her pupils and then checked her scalp, finding the bump on the back of her head; she let out a pain filled hiss when he felt around the edges of the wound. "Concussion." He said finally, stepping back and retrieving the bag he had carried into the room. He pulled out what looked like a gun and inserted a vial into it. He returned to where the guards continued to hold her pushed the sleeve up on her arm and pressed the edge of the gun against her shoulder. It made a thunking noise and she tried to struggle letting out a hiss of pain. "Keep her still." He hissed. The medication from the gun slid into her. Warmth crept from her shoulder down her arm and then across her chest, her knees gave out and the only thing keeping her standing were the hands holding her to the wall. George watched as the medication took effect, rage shown from her eyes even as the medication took hold and her body slipped into unconsciousness. "Let her go. Diana can question her right away." He turned and walked from the room. If Diana questioned her and didn't kill her then maybe he could still get her on the shuttle to the surface and help her escape. The medication he gave her was something he had concocted to help fight the effects of the truth serum, though it didn't work all the time it did help to keep the prisoner from telling all of the secrets of the fifth column and the resistance.

The guards let go of her arms and she barely managed to keep from falling on her face able to slide down the wall into a heap on the floor. Why would anyone want to ask her questions? She was only a kid it was obvious she didn't know anything. She could barely open her eyes trying to fight the effects of whatever that hateful doctor had given her, but the pain in her head and side eased enough that she didn't feel like throwing up any more and breathing was easier. She heard the hiss of the door opening and shutting as the three men left the room, leaving her alone again. Loneliness was almost worse than the fight she had had with the two guards. It really hadn't been a fight, they had beaten her and she had merely watched and felt it, flailing her arms around like stupid bird.

She berated herself a few more times slipping in and out of consciousness and didn't hear the door until hands grabbed her arms and pulled her to her feet. Startled she was surprised that she could stand and blinked at the two men. "Diana wants to see you." One of the guards said. The second guard pulled her arms behind her back and put them into restraints. The two of them pulled her from the room, gripping her upper arms so tightly she was sure she would be bruised. She tried to slow her breathing. Diana. The head of science. The Visitor who had worked closely with her father. It was likely that Diana had seen pictures of her, might even recognize her. If that were the case then Matthew and Mandy could be in danger. If she were linked to the Resistance then all of the Matcliff companies could be implicated. For the first time in a year she was grateful that she had been dead, hoping that Diana would not know her. Swearing that if she were able to get out of there she would never put anyone she loved in danger again.

The room that the guards took her to was smaller then she had thought it would be and she didn't see any science fiction tools of torture that she had expected from all of the movies, only a large chair. The guard released her hands and all but dragged her to the metal chair and then pushed her into it. He flipped a switch on the side and she found herself unable to move. She tried over and over but the only thing that would move was her head, her breathing sped up along with her panic as she fought against the invisible force that held her down. She searched the room, after the two guards that had brought her in had left there was nothing, just an empty room, white like everything else she had seen in this damn place.

"Welcome." The female voice was strangely familiar and came from behind her. Criss struggled to look over her shoulder and was unable to see who had spoken. After a few moments of struggling she gave up and tried to concentrate on not saying anything about Matthew or her home, the woman who had spoken stepped in front of her. "My name is Diana." Had Christien been standing she would have been several inches taller than the Visitor and yet to woman made her feel tiny, trapped in a chair without any bonds. Diana smiled and stepped closer. "What is your name?"

"Christien." Criss answered softly staring at Diana.

"Christien, why were you at my warehouse last night?" Diana stepped closer and Criss desperately wanted to sink back into the chair away from the predatory glare.

Criss shook her head. "I don't know." She had followed behind K.C. knowing only that they were watching the door and were back up for those inside. She didn't know the true reason that the Boise resistance had entered the warehouse. "They didn't tell me."

Diana lost all sense of softness and stomped away behind the chair. "That is not what I wanted to hear Christien." She said returning with the same injection device that the doctor had used. "Let's try this again shall we." Diana took a handful of Christien's hair and forced her head to the side and injected the serum into her neck. "What were you looking for in my warehouse?"

Her headache returned in a flash and her stomach rolled, Criss looked at the woman and was surprised to see two of her. She blinked, "I"

"Yes?"

"I don't know." Criss answered again.

Diana let out a huff her anger clear and stepped forward injecting a second dose of the serum. "Answer my question truthfully." She hissed into Criss' ear before stepping back.

The edges of her vision clouded leaving only Diana. In the back of her mind Criss watched the plane crash over and over. K.C.'s voice replayed over and over in her ears, "Run Crissy run." Criss shook her head not realizing it was the wrong thing to do until after her stomach rolled again. She squeezed her eyes shut and was caught unaware when the chair finally released her slid from the seat to the floor onto her knees with a squeak.

"Loosen her tongue." Diana said to a guard that had stepped into the room. "But gently. She is young enough that she may be of value." Diana walked to a table that was Criss had not seen behind the chair and began to shuffle through a stack of paperwork and then medical slides ignoring her completely.

Criss felt confused, sick. She watched Diana waiting to see what the woman would do to her. Diana didn't even look up from her papers, the guard she had spoken to stepped up to where Criss knelt on the ground. Criss looked away from Diana and looked up at nameless guard; he grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled her to her feet. She tried to push his hand off her shirt to back away from him but his hand was wound in the fabric, his free hand flashed and she heard the slap before she felt the pain across the side of her face. The second punch landed where she had been bleeding and she screamed in pain her vision darkening for a few seconds and her legs giving out on her as she gasped to regain air. He hit her again in the same spot "Please!" The word escaped her before she could stop it. "Stop please." She said again trying to twist away out of his grasp.

Diana stepped up to them. "Why were you there last night?"

Criss tried again to pull away shaking her head. "I was helping." She tried to explain, only to have Diana pull her head back and inject her again with the medication. "Stop please I don't know what we were there for. I was just helping."

Diana gestured and the guard let go and Criss dropped again to her knees tears streaming down her cheeks she wrapped her arms around her stomach afraid she was going to vomit. "Who heads the resistance movement in Idaho?" Diana asked and then growled when Criss shook her head.

"I don't…" Criss started to say and then couldn't control herself any longer and leaned forward and threw up all over Diana's shiny black boots.

Diana crouched down and forced Criss to look at her. "You will pay for that." She hissed and then smiled. "You may not know today. But you will." Diana stood. "Get her out of here and clean that up."

The guard pulled her from the floor and all but dragged her from the room. She felt herself start to heave again and forced herself not to. The hallways on the mother ship where the same as the rooms, white, only longer and it seemed to take forever until the guard dropped her into the same cell she had been in before. She new it was the same room because of the blood still smeared on the floor. The door slid closed and she was left alone. She stumbled to the corner of the room farthest from the door and slid down the wall. She tried at first to pull her knees to her chest but the pain in her side was too intense. Instead she leaned her knees against the corner wall and laid her head back closing her eyes.

The room was black. She didn't know what had caused her to start awake, only that she now sat, stiff against the wall in solid darkness. "They can't hear or see us so you need to listen very carefully. I have only moments before they realize the lights are out in this section and they turn them back on."

"Who are you?" Criss asked into the darkness.

"Someone to help." He replied and she felt a hand on her arm and almost screamed. "Sorry, I forget that you can not see in this light. Be still I am going to give you a pill and some clothing. It is a visitor uniform. Take the pill first, then put on the uniform right over your clothing."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I can not have you infiltrating the resistance and I do not wish to see you killed." He placed a pill in her hand and then laid clothing over her legs. "Put them on now and don't argue or you are going to be converted and there will be nothing I can do for you."

Criss put the pill into her mouth and pulled the uniform over her clothing. "What is the pill?"

"For the pain." He said and helped her to stand. "You are bleeding again." He made a tisking noise and sounded frustrated. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah fine."

"I will walk with you as far as the loading bay. Keep your face down and this hat pulled over your eyes." He helped her step into a pair of boots that were several sizes too big and easily fit over her shoes. "When you get off the ship" he continued as she gathered her hair and tucked it into the cap. "Go to a club and tell them George sent you." He gave her the address and made her repeat it several times to be sure she understood. "They will get you medical help and then you can find a way back to Idaho."

She followed him out of the cell and did as he told her keeping her head down. He led her through the darkened hallways like a maze then stopped just as they were about to step into a brightly lit hallway. "Straighten your back and walk as though you belong here."

Criss did as he asked, never once looking up at him. She followed his swift footsteps the pain in her side worse that any she had ever felt before. "When is this pill supposed to work?" She asked quietly.

"Quiet we are almost there. And it will start working soon, just take slow deep breaths and stay calm you are doing great." He led her to a door and stopped. "The shuttle is loading over my shoulder nod if you see it."

Criss looked over his shoulder at the enormous room. Her eyes grew wide, she shook her head. "There are too many."

"Nod if you see the shuttle."

She nodded. "But."

"Trust me. Walk straight to the shuttle. Do not talk to anyone. You will be safe and you will not be questioned. Now go."

She didn't look at him. "Thank you." She took a deep breath and walked away, trying to pretend that the red clad soldiers in the room in front of her were nothing more than spectators at a meet. Keeping her eyes focused on the boarding shuttle. She walked to the door of the shuttle and loaded on behind a short man dressed in the red and black uniform of a visitor guard. He even carried a side arm. She glanced at the interior of the shuttle and stood as the rest of the passengers did holding a bar that ran the length of the ceiling. The door to the shuttle closed and the engine began to hum and they lifted off hovering out of the loading bay and then into the cloudy air of Los Angeles.

The shuttle landed and all of the visitors unloaded and left as though nothing happened. She stepped off the shuttle and the door immediately closed and the small ship took off again leaving her in a small empty lot somewhere in down town Los Angeles. Criss looked around. All of the businesses in the area were closed, nothing but run down and boarded up buildings. On the corner was a public phone and she rushed to it only to find that the handset had been cut off and the coin slots broken. She realized then that she was still dressed like a visitor and how odd it would seem for a visitor to be looking for a public phone. She stepped back into the recess between two buildings and took off the uniform, boots and the hat. Her hair was a mess so she chose to keep the bright red hat pulling her matted blond curls through the slot in the back. Her shirt and pants were worse, the guard had ripped the neck of her t-shirt and though you couldn't see the color you could tell that something had stained the front of her shirt and jeans.

She went back to the pay phone and thumbed through the trashed phone book that still dangled under the broken phone until she found a map of the city. It took her forever just to locate a map that showed her where she was, and then even longer to find the streets the visitor had told her about. It was going to be a long walk. She ripped the map out of the book and took it with her.

The bar was hopping. Criss stood out front for several minutes, afraid to go in. She looked down the street and noticed another public phone. The area was nicer and far more crowded. She walked to the phone and was grateful when the receiver was not only attached but also had dial tone. She dialed 0 and then made a collect call home and waited but there was no answer. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she hung up and then tried again this time calling the Matcliff offices in Boise. It took several moments before the secretary agreed to accept the call and then a few minutes longer while she waited on hold for Matthew to answer.

"Miss Christien?" Came his exhausted and worried voice.

"Matthew." She began to cry for real then the story of the last two days pouring from her over the phone lines.

"Are you sure you will be alright? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"Hospital?" She asked. "No I can't go to a hospital. They will find me there."

"Okay. I have some contacts in California. It will take me a few days to get the proper travel documents for you to come home. Go to this place that he told you about see if they can hide you for a couple of days and call me tomorrow." She could hear him breathing heavily.

"I am so sorry Matthew." She whispered.

"No. I didn't listen. Mandy showed me the video." He replied. "I am just so happy to hear from you, and that you are alive. Now go and get off the street."

Criss hung up the phone and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her shirt and took a deep breath and then crossed the street. She pushed open the door stepped inside and walked up to the bar. "Excuse me." She tried to catch the attention of the bartender.

The young black man behind the bar barely glanced at her. "I don't serve kids. Hit the diner down the street chica." He smiled and went back to work.

Criss almost left but realized she had nowhere to go. "No. I was told to come here by George." She tried not to talk too loud but the man's head flew up and walked over to her taking a closer look.

"Referred by old Georgy huh?" He asked searching her face. She nodded not sure if she should say anything else. "My name is Elias." He held out his hand.

"Christien." She took his hand and he noticed that hers shook when she held it up.

"Well Christien, a friend of Georgy is a friend of mine. Would you like a soda and something to eat?" He asked letting go of her hand and walking around the bar he came to stand next to her.

"I am really not dressed for eating out." She whispered embarrassed at how dirty and disheveled she must look.

Elias smiled guiding her to register, "Nonsense. It will be a few minutes before the rest of your party arrives you can use the ladies room to tidy up a bit and here." He pulled out a dark navy t-shirt that advertised his bar from under the counter. "This will help."

The mirror in the ladies room was far too honest. Her eyes were sunk deeply in her head and a deep brouse covered one side of her face. She pulled of the hat and shoved as far into the trashcan as she could and then walked back to the sink. Criss washed her face and used a torn piece of fabric from her old t-shirt to hold back her mane of unruly blond curls and then threw the old shirt away. She pulled on the new t-shirt it was snug meant to show off every curve, but wished it were a bit bigger to make sure it covered the dark stain and hole in her jeans. She made sure her hands and face were clean and then left the room.

Elias took her elbow before she reached the bar and led her to a table hidden in a back corner. On the table was a plate of French fries and a soda. "How bad?" He asked and she looked at him in confusion. "How bad are you hurt?"

"The doctor said concussion." She admitted and touched her stomach. "I am not sure how I got cut but I have a cut on my hip too."

He nodded. "Okay, eat. A guy will be here in a few minutes to talk to you Christien."

He left her at the table and she picked at the fries, finding it funny that her athlete's diet was ruined. She hadn't had French fries in so long that she was surprised at how good they tasted. K.C. had teased her about her diet. He had tried over and over to get her to break the diet; the only time he had succeeded in the last year had been with his home made chocolate cake. She had never met a boy who could bake before; he made her promise not to tell anyone that he had made it when he brought it first for her sweet-sixteen party and then several times a month.

He would tease her when she would complain about the empty calories and then have a second piece. She set the fry she was holding down on the plate and wiped away the tears that had gathered on her cheeks. It was not the time to think about K.C., she needed to get home. Then she would mourn him. She blinked away the tears and tried to concentrate, worried about who she was going to meet and what was going to happen while she was waiting for Matthew to get her home. Traveling across the state lines had changed in the last few months, the fighting between the visitors, local law enforcement and the resistance groups had forced the borders closed and for all travelers to need special papers in order to travel even if for a family vacation. Not that anyone could afford a vacation since the cost of everything from gas to groceries had more than doubled in the last six months.

"Christien?" The male voice was soft but she jumped anyway. "Sorry." He grinned when she looked up at him. He sat in a chair across from her and then looked around. "So George sent you huh?" He asked, Criss nodded. "Elias said you asked for our help."

"I, uh" She stared at the man in front of her sure that she had seen him before. "I live in Idaho and my family can't get me any help for two days." He was the journalist. It finally dawned on her, the man in front of her was Michael Donavan one of the leaders of the Los Angeles.

"Elias also said you were injured?" He phrased the comment as a question.

"A little, but it isn't bad."

The man laughed lightly running a hand through his sandy brown hair and then unzipped his pale brown leather jacket and leaned back in the chair. "He gave you one of those pills didn't he?" She nodded. "Shit," He mumbled and stood and walked around to her. "Stay here I will be right back." Criss watched him walk away and speak quickly to the man at the bar and another younger dark haired man. The young man looked over at her and smiled and then started her way.

"Hi," The young man looked only a few years older than she was, he wore jeans that were faded by wear and a black button front OP shirt "I'm Kyle."

"Criss" She held out her hand to him and he happily accepted it.

"Come on I am gonna take you somewhere you can be lying down when that pill wears off."

"What?" She asked as he helped her out of the booth and to stand. She was surprised when she wobbled and the room swum before her. "I thought that was soda." She whispered.

"It is." Kyle answered laughing softly. "The magic pill that George gave you is wearing off. He only gives that pill to people who have been injured pretty badly so that means you need a doctor.

"But he said I wasn't hurt that bad." She started to pull away and stumbled. Kyle put an arm around her waste and pulled her close to his side. "Let go." She tried to argue but the argument was weak and she stumbled a few more steps toward the bar.

Kyle laughed harder to distract the customers in the bar from looking to closely at her. "Come on honey let's get you home." Kyle tugged her toward the back door of the club.

"No I don't want to."

"Please Criss." He whispered in her hair. "You are going to pass out on me any moment let me get you outside without getting any one else in the bar involved."

She looked around and noticed that a lot more people had entered the bar since she had gotten there, and many of the patrons were visitors. She turned her face back to the shoulder of the man holding her. "I'm sorry." She whispered and started to walk easier with him toward the back door.

Kyle helped her into the back of a van and then joined her. She looked around the old empty van, the only seats were the two in the front. "Mike will be here in a moment." He said when he noticed her looking around. "You are safe now, I promise."

Criss looked back at him then. "It's not that. I mean yeah it was scary but it's more that you said I was hurt worse than I feel. Are you sure?"

Kyle shrugged. "George has been sneaking captured resistance members off the mother ship for a few months now. I have never seen him give anyone that pill that didn't really need it." He leaned forward and smiled at her. "But you look like your feeling pretty good, maybe I am wrong. Where were you hurt?"

"They hit me in the head, and I have this cut." She lifted the corner of her t-shirt only to see that bandage and the shirt were soaked in blood. "I am not sure how I got cut though." She shook her Head.

Kyle let out a soft whistle. "Lie down for a second and let me look." He pealed back the tape and gasped. "That is not a cut that is a laser blast." Criss started to sit up only to have Kyle push her back down. "Oh no. You stay right there." The front door opened and Mike climbed in. Kyle looked up and the two shared a moment of silent conversation. "She's been shot." Kyle said his hand still holding her down.

"Christien, why didn't you tell Elias?"

She shook her head. "I didn't know. He didn't tell me."

"Didn't you feel it when they shot you?" Kyle asked her in disbelief.

Criss shook her head trying to remember when she first felt the pain in her hip. When K.C. has fallen on top of her, she had heard a hiss and then he had toppled over onto her. She had been so upset she didn't know that he had been shot a second time and the laser had gone through him and into her. "They didn't shoot me. They shot my friend." She stopped then unable to continue and turned away.


	3. Chapter 3

Kyle and Mike didn't push her any farther but Kyle did continue to hold her down so she didn't move. "Close your eyes." Kyle said after a moment. "It will make the trip easier if we don't have to blind fold you."

Criss looked at him, the pain in her side growing and took a deep breath and nodded closing her eyes. She didn't know when she lost consciousness or when they arrived at their destination. She woke in a small bed in old building, and all alone. She pushed herself up in the bed and grimaced, feeling aches and a soreness that she hadn't felt the day before. The pill that Visitor gave her must have been a pretty good for her to feel this bad now and not have known about any of the aches or pains before she fell asleep. Her clothes were clean and folded sitting on a chair next to the bed, moving slowly she dressed and then sat back onto the bed breathing heavily. She looked at the door of the room when she heard a soft knock. "Yes?"

"Glad you're finally up." Mike Donavan peeked into the room. "You look much better, more color. You about gave Kyle a heart attack when he couldn't wake you up."

"How long have I been here?"

"Two days. We never properly introduced ourselves. My name is Mike Donavan."

"I know." Criss smiled shyly. "I think everyone knows you."

"Well there are some countries in Africa that still don't have televisions." He laughed and sat in the chair next to her bed. "So Christien you're from Idaho you said. Are you part of the resistance?"

"Kind of." She looked away and sniffed emotion threatening to overcome her. "I forced my friend to take me with him, but I didn't know any of the people."

"Pretty small group there?"

"I think so. K.C. had been working with them for months. He said the resistance was growing but I only met a few people the night we broke into the warehouse. He said we were back-up, waiting to make sure that no one came." Criss looked up. At some point while she was talking he had stood walked to stand at her side, he laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "A lot of them came."

"Hey none of us knew we would be fighting. We all expect the military to fight and it is hard when the military stands by and lets us do the fighting without weapons. Whatever happened was not your fault."

"They killed him." Criss looked down at her hands. "I need to call home. Do you have a phone I can use?" She asked finally.

"Sure I will take you back to the Club." He wiggled a finger at the logo on her shirt and smiled. "You can call from there. What's your last name Christien from Idaho?"

"Elise." She smiled.

"Well Christien Elise welcome to Los Angeles. I will send Julie in to look you over and then I will come get you, there is a bathroom through that door if you need." He pointed and then left the room.

Criss stepped out of the bathroom to find a blond woman sitting in the chair. "You must be Christien." She said standing when Criss walked into the room. "I am Julie."

"Hi."

"Mike said you were eager to leave."

"I just don't want to be a bother."

Julie let out a sigh and put on the stethoscope she had from around her neck. "If you will sit down I just want to check the bandage and look you over, though I would prefer you stay in bed for another few days."

"If I don't call soon they will worry." Criss sat on the edge of the bed and watched warily as Julie checked all her vital signs and then had her lay back to look at the wound on her stomach. "Is it really a laser blast?" She asked quietly.

"Yes. But not as bad as it could have been, they must have been quite a distance in order for the blast to have been so small and for it not to have gone all the way through." Julie replaced the bandage. "You were very lucky."

"If you say so." Criss mumbled realizing that it hadn't been distance that had saved her but that the laser had gone first through K.C.'s body and then through her own. "I don't feel lucky."

"You are alive." Julie said. Turning to leave, and Criss had the feeling she had somehow made the shorter slender woman angry. "Mike will be back in a moment. Wait here please."

The ride back to The Club started out quiet, Mike made her wear a blind fold and sit in the back of the van for the first twenty minutes of corners and stops before he called her to the front seat to join him. "Have you ever been to LA before Christien?"

"Criss," She corrected looking out her window and up into the high rises and buildings that were almost as familiar as the buildings in her home town. "Yeah, I've been here a lot. My dad did business here before he passed away and I had gymnastic competitions here often."

"You must have been good." Mike said glancing over at her.

"Why do you say that?" She asked looking at him instead of out the window.

"No one travels to California from Idaho for a gymnastics meet unless it is a real competition."

"Yeah I guess I was pretty good." She smiled, thinking that California had probably been the meet closest to home when considering the international meets and the meets on the East coast. "I started when I was three."

"Wow. So did you make it to the Olympics?" He pulled the van into a parking space and started to roll up his window.

"Almost." She followed cranking the window up she climbed carefully out of the van, grateful that someone had lent her a brush so she could get the majority of the rats out of her hair and braid it tightly back.

"Why did you stop? They brought back the Olympics in what two years? You're young enough to compete still."

"Why the questions?"

He leaned back against the door of the van. "Well, a young girl comes all shot up wearing a pair of two hundred dollar jeans, makes a guy curious."

"Make you a deal." Criss smiled realizing that Mike Donavan was far more observant than she gave him credit for. "You tell me how you knew my jeans were expensive and I will tell you why I don't compete any more."

He shook his head. "First would you have made the team?" She nodded. "Okay I agree to your terms. Sara told me out of envy, she's a kid of my friend and the one who so kindly washed your jeans."

"Some reporter you are." Criss tried to smile. "Tell her I said thank you." Criss started to walk across the street.

"Hey you didn't live up to your end of the bargain." He jogged to catch up to her.

"Yeah well." Criss pulled open the door. "Dead men tell no tells. And they can't compete in the Olympics either." She smiled at him and entered the bar. "A phone?"

"Yeah." Mike looked confused at the young girl in front of him for a second. "Over there." He pointed at a small alcove near the bathroom. "Pay phone, will that work?"

"Yeah thanks."

"Would you like breakfast?" Mike asked as she walked away.

"That would be great thank you." Criss hurried to the phone.

Mike ordered food and then sat at a table and waited. After a few moments Criss joined him. "I ordered scrambled eggs is that alright?"

Criss nodded and sat down. "What can I do to repay your kindness?" She asked.

Mike shook his head. "Nothing I can think of." He laughed. "I worry about George sending people to us like this. I am afraid he is going to get caught. And then our fifth column network will come crashing down. But at the same time if he can get people like you free and safe then I can't tell him to stop."

"I can pay you, would that help?" Criss asked she looked down feeling uncomfortable to even offer. "I don't have much else to give but as you pointed out I do have a bit of money. Maybe I can buy supplies or something?"

"Well if you had money in those jeans I am sure that Sara robbed you." Mike smiled and leaned back when their food arrived.

"Two breakfart specials." Came to resonating reply.

"Oh my God." Criss breathed knocking over her chair in her hurry to back away from the Visitor who set down the plates.

"Breakfast Willy." Mike stood and walked around the table to Criss. "Criss this is Willy, he is a friend." Mike laid a hand on her shoulder for reassurance. "Remember who you met a few days ago?" Mike asked and Criss nodded. "Willy is like him. Now sit down and eat."

"I'm sorry Willy." Criss said stepping forward and putting out her hand. Willy took her hand gently and shook it. "It's nice to meet you." She picked up the chair, sat down and watched as he walked away. She took a few forkfuls of the egg and let out a sigh in pleasure. "This is so good. And no I don't have money now but I will in a little while. I would like to help."

"Enjoy breakfast." Mike looked out the window and then back at his breakfast companion. "Someone you know?" He asked.

Criss looked up and followed his gaze. Out front of the bar was a stretch limo with blackened windows. "No, He wouldn't do that." She whispered setting down her fork. The driver walked inside the building and it was all she could do to not burry her face in her hands. "Why would he do this?" She whispered and looked up only to find herself alone at the table.

"Your ride is here." Willy said stepping up to the table. "Mike said to tell you to be careful and to stop by if you are ever back in town." Willy smiled at her.

Criss nodded and pushed back her chair. "Thank you." She said. "Please tell everyone I said thank you." Criss left her head down, and followed the driver.

The driver didn't speak to her. He took her to a large hotel where she was ushered from the car to an office where she sat and waited. The office like the hotel was plush and expensive. Seems like Matthew set her up in a nice place, the only problem was she had been sitting in the chair waiting for this guy for almost an hour. Her head hurt, the pills they had given her earlier had worn off and her stomach was empty. She rubbed her head and let out a sigh.

Finally the office door opened and a man about the same age as her grandfather would have been gestured for her to enter. She sat in the chair he pointed to and then waited again. After he sat behind the large mahogany desk he smiled at her. "Your uncle and I have been friends a long time." He said finally. "So when he called and told me that his little niece was stuck in my city and needed my care I was happy to help. He has sent this for you," He handed her a large envelope. "He has also taken care of your stay for the next several nights. Feel free to enjoy the amenities of the hotel," He looked closely at her then "after you have cleaned up." She tried to smile at his scrutiny but knew she looked horrible. "I have taken the liberty to order some age appropriate clothing for you it is waiting in your room. You will take the back hallway of course." He waved at the door and then waited for a woman to come in. "Take Miss Elise to her room please." And like that she was dismissed. If she hadn't grown up in a house where she interacted with business men like him from the time she could walk she would have been insulted by the way he handled her. She left the room without speaking a word to him other than thank you and was grateful when the woman left her at the door of a hotel suite.

The room was perfect, huge clean and had a bathtub as big as a swimming pool. She made sure the door was locked and called Matthew to let him know she was safe and then showered first and ran the bath as hot as she could stand and sunk down into it.

Whether it was the safety she felt in the locked room or the very warm water she didn't know but suddenly she began to shake. Her arms and legs quivered uncontrollably, the night of the raid replayed in her head and for the first time she allowed herself to relive K.C.'s death. The few words he spoke; begging her to run, to be safe, then feeling of his warm body falling on her pinning her to the ground. She began to sob, crying harshly into the tub. After the bath she wrapped herself in the plush robe and crawled into bed and cried herself to sleep.

Morning brought another headache but the pain in her side had faded, Criss pushed herself out of bed and realized that it was after noon and she didn't even know what day it was. She ordered a huge breakfast, and then went into the bathroom to shower and try to get the knots out of her hair. By the time she unlocked the bathroom door and walked back into the room her breakfast had been left on the small table along with coffee and the Tylenol that she had asked for. She took two of the pills and then sat down to breakfast and the envelope that Matthew had sent.

The envelope contained cash, a credit card with only her first and middle name, then a Driver's license that showed her to be nineteen. Three years older than she was. She smiled, realizing that he was taking precautions for her. If she had been stopped or asked for ID the age would be close enough to her own but far enough from her real age that her secret would be safe. The envelope also contained flight information and travel documents. She left the documents on the table and finished her breakfast. Her room had a view that would allow her to see the entirety of down town Los Angeles. She walked out onto the balcony and stopped. Only a mile or so from where she stood floated the Los Angeles Mother Ship. Diana was on that ship, the woman who had killed her family or at least had worked with her father and had caused him to doubt the Visitors and their purpose. She couldn't leave LA. Staying here would give her the opportunity to help the resistance defeat the Visitors and give her a chance to meet Diana again. She turned and went back into the room and picked up the phone.


	4. Chapter 4

"Please Matthew understand I am not trying to make you worry." Criss listened to him plead with her. "No I have to stay. The only way I am going to make any difference in this war is if I am in the heart of it. I want my car though so I will find a place and then I will call you and fly home so I can drive back."

"I will drive your car to you." He said after a moment of silence. "That would make me feel better."

She sighed. "Okay. But let Mandy pack for me. I actually want clothes that I will wear not the stuff you want me to wear."

Matthew laughed softly. "It will take me a couple of days to get there. Will you stay at the hotel until I do?"

"So you can pick where I live?" Now she laughed. "I don't know. I will be out for part of the day. If you call don't freak if I don't answer." She spoke to him for a few more minutes and then hung up.

The clothing that the hotel owner had felt was appropriate was more like what a girl would wear if she were freezing in the dead of winter; a high necked long sleeve shirt that had no cut lines and no style at all, then a pair of expensive slacks. The slacks and shirt fit but looked horrible. She left the hotel and headed for a mall that had not been closed down by the economic downturn. She bought some cut off denim shorts, and a new pair of jeans, tank tops and then underwear and changed into a new outfit leaving the horrible clothes to be found in the ladies room at the mall. After spending a few hours shopping and buying more clothing and shoes she called a cab and had it take her back to the hotel. The only item she kept to remember the experience was the sun glasses that she had used during her escape. The glasses rested now on the top of her head as she strolled into the lobby of the hotel as though she owned it. The hotel offered a number of services including a salon. She made a u-turn into the salon and within moments was having her hair washed, conditioned, trimmed and styled. She left a large tip and went to her room.

Armed with a new bathing suite, a map of the city, a fashion magazine and a towel she headed for the pool. It was the first time she had worm a one piece suite but she had to cover the bandage and avoid any questions. It was hard enough to hide the bruise on her cheek and the split lip. She ordered a soda at the pool and some fresh fruit and then put on her glasses to read through the map. She spent several hours learning the names of the streets and the area around The Club hoping that she could find a place that was near the place and near a gym. Even though she would not be competing again, continuing to practice kept her sane.

She took two days walking the area, searching for a gym and somewhere she could learn how to fight. She hated the feeling of helplessness that she felt while being beaten on the mother ship. Before she could do anything for the resistance she would have to learn how to protect herself, then she could help. Helping the resistance was the only way she could think of to get close enough to kill Diana. Criss stopped on the sidewalk. Her thoughts had rolled to revenge again, distracting her and she missed the building she was looking for. She looked up at the building and read the address and then walked back a little and looked up. The apartment for rent was above a closed down clothing store. The woman she had spoken to was going to meet her at noon. The apartment was perfect for her, close enough to walk to both a gymnastics studio and the Club. She wanted to rent the place and sign a contract before Matthew showed up with her car. She was worried that he would insist on picking out the place.

Her cell phone rang and she dug it out of her back pack and smiled, think of the devil. "Hi Matthew."

"I am at the hotel. Where are you?" His voice sounded tired and impatient.

"I am looking at an apartment." She read him the address and he agreed to meet her.

The woman who owned the building was very happy to see Christien and happier when Criss didn't question the rent or the area. Criss walked around the apartment, a large open space with small separate bedroom and bathroom. The floors were hard wood and the walls had been recently painted, it was clean. Matthew appeared only a few minutes after Criss had made her decision. He looked around the place and then spoke quietly with the woman for a few moments. He stepped up behind Criss while she was looking out the window. "So is this the place?" He asked. The window faced the Mother ship.

"I figured you would tell me." She glanced at him and tried to smile to soften her words.

Matthew shrugged. It had been over a year since the death of her parents. "You are as grown up as you need to be to rent a place like this." Matthew looked around the apartment and then back at Christien. "I love you. To keep you safe I would like to rent the place in my name, make sure all of the bills are handled you know."

Criss laughed and leaned her head against Matthew's shoulder. "I don't want your name associated with mine in any way."

"You are really going join the Los Angeles resistance?"

Criss looked over her shoulder at the woman who was busy on her phone checking references. "Yes. Though I don't want you to get too worried it will be a while before they trust me enough to help. Now I promise to check in as often as possible and I will carry my phone."

"Cell phones," Matthew shook his head "just like this new internet we didn't even have them three years ago and now you act as though the cellular phone is your life. You do know it costs for every minute you spend on that." He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled to him. "I will keep money in the account under your name. You can use the ATM card as you need and the credit card I sent."

She nodded. "So you did bring my car right?"

He laughed; her car was a tiny red convertible mercury. The car had been a gift from her father the day she had passed Driver's Ed. She couldn't even drive at night when he gave her the car. He squeezed her again. "Yes and I am loathed to say that I enjoyed driving it here."

"I won't tell anyone that a big business guy like you enjoyed my little red car."

Matthew watched as Christien signed her lease and listened carefully to her landlord's rent requirements, pleased when she asked all the right questions and when she made sure to question when the locks had been changed and who else may have keys. She asked if she could have the locks changed and add security locks to the windows. They said good bye to the woman and Criss handed Matthew the second set of keys. "I took a cab to get here." Matthew said when they were standing on the sidewalk outside of the building. "So use that fancy cell phone of yours to call one for us and I will take you out to a nice dinner."

Criss shook her head and looked up at him. "I think after loosing K.C. and the week I have had that we need to have a quiet dinner at the hotel."

Matthew lifted her chin and looked at the bruise that surrounded her eye and the one on her lip. "I want you to tell me." He turned her head from one side to the other and then let out a small sigh.

"I won't."

He nodded. "I want you to know that K.C.'s death was not your fault."

She smiled and pulled away. "I know that doesn't make it hurt any less." She pulled the phone out of her purse it was as big as her hand but smaller than any phone he had ever had, even the phone he had installed in his car was bigger than the one she was holding. She pushed in the number for a local cab company and ordered a cab to their location and then hung up. "Ten minutes." She looked around her and then back to Matthew. "So what is the real reason you didn't argue about the apartment?"

"I know the area. You are in the heart of the Open City. You know that Matcliff has an office only two blocks away and that there will be a security agent on staff at all times who will be able to let you in." He looked around for a second. "There are places to eat and stores nearby. You will have to drive a bit to buy groceries." He nodded again. "I am sure you know that there is a gym only a few buildings down."

She smiled and nodded. "I have and interview for private practice time on Monday."

He shrugged. "Your parents raised smart kids."

She bumped his shoulder again. "You helped." Then she laughed. "Make sure you brag to Mandy that I am only a few minutes from a beach."

"It's farther then you think." He said and laughed.

"Well I am closer then she is." She pouted.

"Don't pout it is unbecoming of a lady." He looked her over and then shook his head. "I knew that I should have picked out your clothes. What are you wearing? Those shorts have holes in them and that shirt. I can't believe that nice woman rented that apartment to a hoodlum like you."

Criss rolled her eyes. "These shorts were a hundred bucks." She smiled when his face crumpled up at the price. "Don't worry I won't shop very often and the lady rented the apartment because you showed up." The cab pulled up and Criss started to open the back door. "Did you just call me a hoodlum?"

"Hey I am not the one who spent a hundred bucks on ripped denim jeans." He followed her into the taxi.

Matthew stayed in LA, working most of the time at the local office, for three more days. Criss dropped him at LAX, her gut twisted as she walked through the airport with him. He gave her more instructions and advice about living alone. Suggesting that she apply to college or look for a job something to keep her mind occupied. She left him at the security checkpoint. The airport was full of red clad visitors and she didn't want to go through security or have anyone look too closely at her.

"Be safe." Matthew hugged her tightly.

"I will." She promised.

"Mandy is going to fly over to spend your birthday with you. I will come if I can." He smiled and brushed her blond hair off her face. "Don't do anything that will put you in unnecessary danger."

"You too. Remember do whatever they want." She told him. He finally let go of her and she took a step back. "I am going to be fine." She promised.

"You are going to make me cry." He touched her cheek again, nodded once and then turned and went through the first class security line.


	5. Chapter 5

The day was amazingly beautiful. Clear blue skies, very little smog hanging over the city, but knowing that Matthew was getting on a plane and leaving ruined her mood. She drove home slowly winding through the different city streets, learning the names of the streets and how all the streets crossed each other. She was a few blocks from home when she found a small dojo that advertised mixed martial arts. She pulled into the parking lot and got out of her car.

The inside of the dojo was clean, the main floor covered in worn mats, a trophy case along the front wall held several trophies and after checking the dates she realized that they were both new and old.

"Be right with you." Came a deep masculine voice from the other room.

"Okay." She called back and then waited at the tall counter that held a number of brochures and information on the dojo.

The man that came out of back office was must have been close to six and a half feet tall and was muscular without a touch of fat. He had a dark complexion and an easy smile as he walked to where she was standing. "How can I help you?"

"I was wondering if you offered private classes?"

He crossed his arms and she had to fight to not be intimidated by his sheer size. "Private classes are very expensive. What do you want to learn?"

"I want to learn how to fight. Not how to win a competition but how to actually fight."

He nodded taking in the lip and fading bruise around her eye. "That the reason?" He waved a finger in the direction of her face.

Criss nodded. "Yeah,"

"You ever had any training before?" He walked behind the counter and pulled out a scheduling book

Criss nodded. "I have been training for gymnastics since I was three. I still train."

"I am not going to teach a slacker. So if you are going to commit, then you are not going to be canceling sessions or standing me up."

Criss shook her head. "I never miss training, I run every morning. When can you fit me in?"

"How often do you want to come?"

"As often as you will let me." Criss smiled at him. She worked through the details and went over the rules of his dojo and then left. He refused to allow her to work out until the bruise on her eye had faded. She had made the mistake of mentioning a concussion and he made her promise not to do anything more strenuous than a light jog for another five days and set up their first appointment.

The five days took forever. Criss tried to busy herself buying used furniture for the apartment or going to the beach. The bruise under her eye turned a deep black and then started to fade to a brownish purple, but time did not move as quickly. She paced the tiny apartment at night wishing she had something to do or someone to do it with but refusing to call Matthew or Mandy and whine about being alone.

Criss walked past The Club and stopped. A red help wanted sign hung in the window. She thought about it for a moment and then walked in a smile on her face. She had taken extra care that day with both make-up and hair and was sure that she would have been forgotten so it surprised her when Elias smiled at her from the bar. "Idaho," He called out. "How ya doing?"

She laughed, "Criss," She pointed over her shoulder. "I noticed your sign in the window and thought I would see what type of job you are offering."

The handsome young black man dropped the rag he was holding and leaned on his elbows over the bar. "You do know that you have to be nineteen to work in a bar."

"Well I guess that it is good that I made nineteen a few months ago, so barely but that's covered." She copied his pose and smiled. "So let me guess, dishwasher?"

Elias shook his head. "Waitress. What kind of experience do you have?"

Criss shrugged. "I have never had a job." She glanced over her shoulder. "But I have never been a slacker either. You tell me what you want done and I promise I can do it better than anyone else you interview."

Elias looked back over the club and then back at the attractive girl who stood before him. "I will make you a deal." He said after he had thought for a moment. "You see that table." He gestured with his chin to a table that was surrounded by men in their twenties. Criss turned around so she could look at the dining room and she nodded. "They come in here every Friday and they order one pitcher of beer, but they take up my table for hours. You get a second pitcher out of them and I will give you trial period."

Criss thought for a second and then nodded. "A pitcher of beer huh? Okay." She pushed off the bar and sauntered over to the table.

Elias couldn't hear what she was saying, he did hear her laugh briefly, watched her toss her wavy blond hair over shoulder and then wink at one of the guys. She took a moment to make sure that she gave each of the men at the table a smile and a few words.

"What is going on?" Willy asked stepped out of the kitchen.

"I believe we just found our new waitress." Elias leaned his chin onto his palm and continued watching. "Check her out. She keeps this up and I will need a new bartender too."

Willy looked confused. "What is she doing?"

"She is getting that table to order something."

"They never order anything."

Criss gave a tiny pout and Elias had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. She smiled again and walked back to the bar. "Ok so pitcher of beer, order of hot wings, and fries and they demand that you provide me with a tank top in hot pink." She wiggled her eyebrows and smiled.

"When can you start?"

"Now."

Elias turned around and rummaged through the cupboard behind him. He tossed her a pink t-shirt. "I prefer you in a t-shirt." He smiled "You can change in the ladies room."

"Thank you for protecting my modesty." She headed for the bathroom and after putting on the t-shirt realized that he had only partially protected her modesty since the shirt had a very low neck line and was pretty snug. She pulled her hair back into a pony tail and tucked the edge of the shirt into the top of her denim shorts. After making sure her make up was perfect she went back out to the bar. "So, what exactly will I be doing?"

"The hours are awful." Elias said over his shoulder as he filled the pitcher with beer. "I need you here from about 3 until after cleanup around two in the morning." He handed her the pitcher. "You take the orders and then serve them, wipe a few tables and I will do the rest. And I need you to work weekends."

She shrugged. "Good I was sick of sitting at home." She took the pitcher to the table of boys and then models her shirt for them with a laugh. On her way back to the bar she stopped at two other tables and collected orders and then gave them to Elias.

The rest of the day past quickly. Elias turned the lock on the door and Criss plopped onto a stool at the bar with a soda. "Man I am pooped."

"I have some paperwork for you to fill out. Do you have your ID and Social with you?"

Criss nodded. She dug into her pocket and pulled out a handful of cash and her credit card and driver's license. "Well I have my ID. I don't have a social security card. I can have it sent from home but it will take a couple of days is that okay?"

Elias nodded. "After tonight I would agree to just about anything. You were great. Are you sure you have never been a waitress before?"

Criss shook her head, not unless you consider being my brothers personal slave for years. She finished her soda and stood up. "Do you want me to wipe down tables or anything?"

"Naw, head out, but be back tomorrow. If you come in early I will feed you before you start."

The kitchen door swung open and Mike Donovan walked into the room, followed by a shorter dark haired man who instantly scowled at her. "Mike, Ham. This is Christien my new waitress."

"Idaho right?" Mike asked giving her a smile and a wink.

Criss nodded and put her hand out for Ham to shake. He ignored her and she shrugged. "Hey Elias, you have a second shirt I won't have time to wash before tomorrow night."

"You gonna sleep all day?" He teased digging under the counter.

"No, I am at the gym by six tomorrow." She leaned over the counter. "You want me to give you a wake up call?"

"Girl you are crazy." He came up with second t-shirt and handed it to her. "I'll let you out." He walked around the bar and she followed him to the front door. "Hey don't worry about Ham, he's a bear to everyone."

Criss shrugged. "His loss, not mine." She smiled again when Elias said good bye and head out into the dark LA night.

Thankfully on a Friday night the curfew was late, and there were still people milling around so the walk back to her apartment was not as scary as it might have been. She made the decision to drive the next night to avoid walking alone in the middle of the night.

A simple pattern settled in, gymnastics in the morning, training in the early afternoon and then to work for flirting and running around all day. As her confidence grew in her ability to fight she added more time to the training schedule. Matt her trainer had few classes and her willingness to learn and ability to pay made him happy to teach everything he knew.

"I don't get it." She said stepping back from the training dummy. "It doesn't feel right."

"You have the right motion." Matt came to stand behind her. "Try again."

Criss spread her feet and swung her left hand out it crashed into the dummy's throat and then bounced back a few inches. "Does it do that if you hit a real person?" She turned and looked at Matt. "Does your hand really bounce like that?"

Matt shrugged. "No, you will feel the impact jar in your arm and shoulder. The training Dummy is designed to help avoid injuries."

"So how will I be able to actually hit some one, or take a hit for that matter if all I ever do is hit a dummy?"

Matt crossed his beefy arms over his chest and stared at her. "Wait here." He went to the front of the dojo, turned the open sign to closed and then locked the door. When he came back he stood directly in front of her. "So talk."

Criss looked confused. "What do you mean."

"Your five foot ten, seventeen years old and a gymnast. Who are you going to hit?"

"I'm nineteen." She tried to argue.

"I know what the fake ID says. What I want to know is why are you learning how to fight instead of trying out for the Olympics?"

Criss looked around the room, nothing in the dojo had given her a clue that Matt may actually know who she was, and even at the gym where she practiced she hadn't been recognized. "How did you know?"

"I know all my clients," He tried to look stern and would have pulled it off if it hadn't been for the grin that tugged at the edge of his lips. "You have talent and you waste it."

"I can't compete any longer and I won't put anyone else in danger. I have to know how to fight so that when the time comes I can protect myself from being seriously hurt and so I can seriously hurt anyone who comes after me." She walked over to where she had left a water bottle and picked it up.

"This have to do with the injury you had when you first come in?" He asked and she nodded. "Why would anyone come after you?"

"Why would anyone try and kill me in a plane crash?" She retorted.

He nodded once. "Fine no more dummy. You and I."

"You have a hundred pounds on me." She looked startled.

"You want to know what it feels like to hit and be hit then I will teach you but I can promise you it is not like the self defense mumbo jumbo you have seen on TV. If you are gonna fight I am not going to pull my punches. It will hurt and you will have to learn to take 'em or avoid 'em."

Criss nodded. "You're on. "

"It'll cost you more." He grinned full then and dragged the practice dummy off of the practice matt.

Criss couldn't help but smile back. "Then you had better make sure that I get my money's worth."

He instructed her to use the same swing and punch on him and then laughed when the punch lightly bounces off of his shoulder. "You hit like a girl, a four year old girl at that. Tighten your muscles, look at your target and aim the punch. Use not just the strength in your arm but the muscles in your back also." Again and again he had her try the moves on him and over and over she balked at using her full strength until finally he caught her last punch wrapped her arm under his left arm and then back handed her with his right.

The moment his arm closed over hers and his heavy muscle locked her down she panicked unable to even move her arm an inch she didn't even see his other hand until her head flipped to the side her cheek on fire. "I said hit me." He growled at her and let go of her arm and pushed her away. "You think I spent the last four weeks teaching you these moves so you could dance at the prom with them?" Put your strength behind that arm and hit me before I slap you silly again."

He had controlled her strike so easily that she feared he would again and shook her head. "How can I ever cause someone bigger than me any actual damage?"

He shrugged. "You're right. I would just beat you to a pulp and take whatever I wanted. There is no way that you will ever learn to actually defend yourself or for that matter fight back." He took a light step forward, his foot swung out catching the back of her legs and sweeping them out from under her she landed on her butt her breath huffing out with a sharp squeak. "You might as well give up and go crying on home." He stood over her.

"How dare you." She whispered, the embarrassment fading replaced by rage. "Tell me how to stop you from ever doing that again." She pushed herself up from the mat and stood in front of him. "Show me how to keep you from ever being able to knock me down." She demanded pointing.

"Try it." He stepped forward his six foot two fighter's frame towering over hers and he took both of his hands and pushed her shoulders. She almost fell, but instead took a step back.

"don't"

"Stop me." He hissed and this time he put his palms flat in her chest and shoved and she went sprawling on the mat again.

Criss pushed herself off the floor her breath coming in furious huffs and stormed at Matt. She ducked his arm when it came around to grab her and punched him in the cheek. He laughed. And she stopped her attack, and looked around. Matt had always made her feel safe and the last few moments had been confusing and painful. "Why are you laughing at me? Did I punch like a girl that time?" She whispered her anger fading to embarrassment.

He shook his head. "No. In fact if you bring that arm with you this may actually work." He stepped forward and was surprised when she quickly stepped back. "I was not trying to scare you." He held his hands out. "You were afraid to hit me."

"I have never hit anyone before."

He nodded. "That's okay; in fact I am glad to hear it. But if you want to survive in a fight you have to use every tool available to you. That means you do exactly what you did at the end, dodge the punches and the kicks and then use your strength to hit your opponent. If you don't you will get hurt, or worse." He looked her over. "Now go wash your face and we will set up our next practice.

Criss was surprised to see that the slap he had gave her had resulted I a split lip that had bled down her chin and onto her shirt. She scrubbed at the blood on her face and then let out the braid in her hair ran a brush through it and pulled it back into a high ponytail. She swapped out the dirty top for a clean club t-shirt and then left the bathroom to look for Matt.

"You bloodied my lip." She accused when she found him at the desk.

He handed her a baggy that had a few pieces of ice in it. "You'll have worse than that before we are through I am sure." She worked out the details of the new training schedule. He insisted on her having more time after training trying to explain to her that she would need time to recuperate before trying to work. Criss hated the idea of giving up more of her gym time but reluctantly agreed to it.

"What happened to your face?" Elias asked when Criss walked into the club later that day.

Criss shrugged, "training is a real bitch sometimes." She smiled. "It doesn't look too bad does it?"

Elias shook his head but grimaced. "No one will notice." He assured her with a fake smile.

"You lie, but I'll take it." She tied a short apron around her waste and headed out to check the customers on the floor. The night started like any other, the club full of both Visitor and human patrons, loud music, drinks, and laugher. In the center of the club was a table full of visitor males. They took turns laughing and slapping each other on the back, while Willy concocted different drinks that served to get the visitors drunk. Some of the drinks, like the ones with Pepto Bismmol, or the ones with straight vinegar made Criss want to gag, but the Visitors loved them.

As the night progressed and the men at the table became less sober Criss heard them congratulate each other on completing the processing plant on time. She brought a round of drinks to the table and then smiled. "Okay gentleman, you have got to stop having this much fun." She smiled. "Your happiness is making my other customers jealous." She continued as she placed all the drinks on the table.

The men at the table roared in laughter, and she joined them. Over and over she visited their table, flirting, paying special attention to each of the men sitting or standing nearby.

"What's going on?" Elias asked stepping out of the kitchen a little after one am.

"We are out of Vinegar." Willy said. And then gestured with his chin to the table where all the visitors sat. "They drank it all."

"I hope they paid first." Elias started to say only to see that Criss was sitting on a chair between two of the biggest of the visitors. Laughing. "What the hell is she doing?"

"She said she was taking a break." Willy answered.

Elias looked around the bar, it was after last call and most of the patrons had either left or were starting to head that way except the one table. He knew that Mike and several other of the resistance members would be arriving soon and the last thing he needed was for them to see his employee being chummy with the lizard customers. "Criss you got work to do." He called over the heads of the customers a little sharper than he intended.

Criss looked up at him and then back at the guys at the table. She laughed again and then rolled her eyes. "Okay dad." She called and pushed away from the table. "You guys finish up and get home." She ruffled the hair of one of the visitor men and then sauntered back to the bar waving at their catcalls. She took the rag Elias offered and began to clean the empty tables, giving him a grin. Elias gave her a weird expression and then turned away. She didn't think anything of Elias or the fact that he didn't talk to her instead she kept wiping tables until she was able to force the table of visitors out of the club and lock the door behind them.

Criss finished the tables and then sat on one of the bar stools and laid her head on her arm. "Willy I am so tired." She looked around. "Where is Elias I have something I want to tell him."

"Oh. Uh." Willy looked around and then gave her a smile. "I think he is doing some business." He nodded toward the office door.

Criss nodded and then walked over to the office she was about to push open the door when she heard voices.

"I can't give you the money." Elias said.

"You know we need it." Ham's voice hummed. "Without the money I can not continue to buy the munitions that we need."

Criss took a deep breath and then knocked heavily on the door. "Hey Elias." She pushed the door open and then leaned her hip against the door frame. "Sorry to interrupt but I am gonna head home and I wanted to let you know about those guys tonight."

"Uh, yeah about that." Elias looked from Christien's face to Ham's.

"Those visitors were talking about something called a processing plant?" She shrugged. "It sounded interesting, so I kinda chummed around with them and asked about it. They wouldn't tell me what it was but they told me where it was. 5th and Broad? They said they had finished it two months early and it would speed up the processing for the outer Los Angeles valley."

Elias let out a sigh. "Thank God. It looked like." He shook his head. "Never mind, what else did you learn?"

"They wouldn't say much about what they did there; just that it was the best plant on the surface." She shrugged. "I was hoping they would give me more details, they did say that the plant was all hush hush and that it had the best security they had ever seen." Elias and Ham looked at each other. "Okay, so what's a processing plant?" She asked looking between the two of them.

Ham shrugged. "It's where they process the people." He said and pushed his way past Criss out of the office.

"People?" She asked his back. "Elias what does he mean process people. For what?"

Elias stood up from his desk and walked over to Criss. He laid a hand on her shoulder. "Food Criss. They eat people."

Criss gasped. "Oh, I uh knew they were killing people but I didn't know." She looked down at her hands and then back at Elias. "I flirted with them and I really need a shower."

Elias laughed. "You surprise me Criss. I would have thought you would have thrown up."

She shrugged. "Trust me I am trying not to picture it." She turned and walked away from the door and started to the bar. "So you okay with me going home?"

"Yeah, but be careful."


	6. Chapter 6

Criss bounced into the club a couple weeks after the incident with the table of visitors a bag in her hand and a smile on her face. "Hey Willy." She smiled.

"Wow your eye is black." Willy said.

"I know. I am going to go put some make up on it to cover it up. Can you apologize to Elias for me for being late?" She turned to head for the bathroom and almost ran into Mike.

"Whoa." Mike grabbed her shoulders to keep her from falling and then held her back. "Hey what happed to your eye?"

"Training today. Made a move I hadn't been able to before." She couldn't help the grin.

"That worth the black eye?" He asked turning her chin to get a closer look.

She nodded. "Oh yeah. Totally worth it. Nice to see you." She walked around him and went to the bathroom to fix her makeup. The night was hopping and Criss spent it running back and forth from the kitchen in the small restaurant, to the bar, and to the tables. She was grateful that it was midweek and the club closed at ten, by the time she sat down her head was pounding. She had noticed that since she had told them the information she learned from the visitors that the resistance had been hanging around more. Mike Donavan and Ham Tyler appeared in the club on a regular basis near the end of her shift and that night Ham Tyler was sitting in one of the booths, Criss slid into the booth across from him.

"Hey." She waited for him to respond

"Hey." Ham looked up from the beer he was drinking. "Can I help you?"

Criss nodded. "I heard you asking for money, how much do you need?"

Ham barked out a laugh. "More than Elias pays you."

"I am not worried about Elias pays me. But I need something from you." Criss leaned forward on her elbows. "I want to learn how to shoot a gun."

"Fifty grand." Ham finished his beer and then leaned back in the seat. "Sunday 8 a.m. if you are a minute late deals off."

Criss nodded and slid out of the booth. "See ya Sunday." She waved to Elias on her way out the door and went home smiling. Headache or not it had been a great day, she had been able to flip Matt for the first time, and she was finally going to learn how to fire a weapon.

It took her over an hour to convince Matthew to get her the money, in the end she could here him sigh and promise her money in a couple days. The next morning her headache was worse and she canceled her time at the gym and canceled time with Matt. Choosing to sleep in instead, by afternoon it was clear she wasn't going to make it through the evening and had to call Elias and tell him she wasn't coming in.

It took two days for the exhaustion and the headache to pass. When Criss finally returned to work it was Friday and she was dreading the late hour but glad to be back on her feet and walking around. Elias took one look at her and shook his head. "You are one beautiful sight for sore eyes blondie."

Criss yawned and then smiled for him. "I'm here."

"Well you don't look like you feel much better than you sounded yesterday." He leaned over the bar. "You sure you can work tonight?"

"What're you gonna do if I don't stay?

"Cry, beg, plead." He handed her an apron and then turned back to the order he was making.

The crowd was unruly and hyper that night. The visitor boys that had been there before were back and expected her attention again. She did her best to humor them, even though they had no information to give her other than the plant they were so excited about would be operating in only a few weeks. It was all she could do not to avoid the table completely and when closing time finally arrived she was grateful that Elias took the lead in ushering the lingering patrons out into the chilly fall evening. "Criss can you stay a bit? I know you were wanting to join us."

Criss nodded and smiled when Kyle walked in through the back door of the club. She hadn't seen him since the day she had met him and he had been so nice. "Well, I thought I would have seen you sooner."

"No one told me you were here." He replied accepting the soda she offered him; and then gestured for her to follow him to a table. "So I take it by the apron and t-shirt Elias has you in some kind of slavery?"

Criss laughed. "No. I needed something to keep me busy, it was a dream to get a job here where I already knew people. And it's kinda fun."

She spoke with him for a while and then listened as the various members of the local resistance filtered in and then discussed the needs and events. Elias introduced her to a few of the people and she smiled in greeting. The meeting took a couple hours and Criss felt herself falling asleep and was trying to force herself to stay awake. It was almost four when everyone started to disperse out of the building in small groups.

"Well?" Elias asked.

"Anticlimactic." Criss replied ruefully. "But thank you for inviting me. I need to get home and get some rest before I have to hit the gym I will see you tomorrow night."

By Saturday night she was ready to jump out of her skin in excitement and nerves. Twice Elias had asked her what was wrong and she had to brush him off and laugh away his concern. He had been acting even weirder in the last few weeks, almost overprotective, like her brother. Since she had begun actual contact fighting and showing up with minor bumps and bruises he had been trying to get her to talk to him. She knew that he was thinking she was being abused and the idea made her wan to laugh, but she wasn't ready to tell him all of her secrets. That day she had shown up with a bruise in the shape and size of a hand on her upper arm, and Elias had flipped, demanding to know who had hurt her. She hadn't been able to get him calmed down until she pulled him into the office and explained that she had fallen off the uneven bars and that the bruise was from her spotter when he grabbed her arm to keep her from landing on her head. The ironic part about the day was that the bruise was from gymnastics and not from contact fighting.

Closing down the bar had become old habit now leaving Criss to wash tables and vacuum the floor she spent the hour after closing wearing headphones and dancing about the room putting up chairs and making sure the room was ready for the next day. As hyped as she was about her meeting with Ham the next morning, cleaning the dining room took half the time it normally did and she found herself heading out early.

Criss walked from her apartment to the Club. She had worn blue jeans and tennis shoes; having been unsure what you were supposed to wear to learn about guns. Ham was sitting in a beater Ford he glanced once at his watch when she walked to his window. "Get in." He said.

Her stomach was tied in knots at the thought of getting into his car and driving away. He was possibly the scariest man she had ever met, and he was the only one who seemed happier when she was not around. That alone made her nervous, maybe he had no intention of teaching her anything, and maybe he was going to just dump her somewhere.

The car disappeared into the streets of LA and Criss took a few breaths trying to calm herself. Ham didn't speak but she noticed that he looked into all the mirrors over and over. Finally the car left the main streets of the town and was into the dusty hills of the city. He pulled into what would have become a posh neighborhood if construction and building hadn't stopped. Now the area was nothing but empty land, forgotten and dusty.

He parked the car and got out. The entire drive had been silent and Criss wasn't sure what he wanted from her but she wouldn't learn anything if she stayed in the car so she followed him to the trunk. The inside of the trunk contained several large black duffle bags. One of the bags had a small box in it. Ham pulled out the box and shoved it at her. Criss held the box surprised that if was heavier than it looked and stepped back while he pulled the other two bags out and set them on the ground and then slammed the trunk.

"Why do you want to know this?" He asked leaning his hip against the trunk.

"Criss set the box on the trunk and crossed her arms. "I am useless if I can't defend myself and I don't want to be useless."

"Useless to whom?"

"The resistance."

"You are wasting my time." He started to pick up one of the bags to put it away.

"No I am not. I want to learn to fire a gun and hit what I am aiming at."

"Why?" He looked at her again. His eyes were the color of burnt steel, not gray and not black. They looked straight through her and she understood then that he would understand.

"Because if I have the shot I don't want to miss." She whispered quietly saying for the first time her dreams of vengeance. "She killed them and I never want to feel helpless again."

"Revenge is a lonely road." Ham shrugged.

"You don't have to help me." Criss leaned back against the car. Her hair whipped about her face in the heavy breeze, she rested her palms on the trunk lid. "But that isn't going to change my plan. If I can kill Diana I will. I just don't want to die doing it."

"Diana." Ham responded. He didn't sound worried or surprised, he let out a sigh. "You couldn't pick an easy target to start out with?"

"She killed my family."

"So is that where your loyalty lies?" Ham unzipped one of the bags and pulled a box similar to the one he had given her. He set the box on the trunk and opened the lid. Inside was a hand gun the thing that held the bullets and other smaller things that she had never seen before.

"I wouldn't kill someone just to have the chance to get to her. But I will do everything I can to make people see what the visitors are and to get rid of them." She watched as he took apart the gun and laid out the parts.

He seemed to accept her explanation and didn't question her any further. She asked him every question she could think of about the gun and some he had probably never heard before. Ham spent two hours teaching her how to take apart and put back together the gun. He taught her how to load the magazine and how the safety worked. He explained every inch of the Glock to her until the gun felt warm and solid in her hand instead of cold and foreign. When he was satisfied that she knew how the gun worked and understood how to hold, clean and care for the tool; he had her open the box he handed her earlier.

The Glock was brand new. "Take it apart." Ham instructed and watched as she carefully checked the gun to ensure it was unloaded first and then stripped the gun to its base pieces. "Back together." He instructed. She complied only having to retrace her steps once. She loaded the two additional magazines in the case and laid the fully loaded gun and the two loaded magazines on the trunk for him to inspect.

Ham nodded. "I am glad to see that your age and hair color didn't interfere." He gestured for her to collect the gun and magazines and walked to the front of the car.

"Did you make a joke?" Criss smiled, Ham glared at her over his shoulder and launched into a lecture on how to aim and fire the weapon. He demonstrated after setting up a target on a flat board twenty-five feet away. His aim was perfect. He instructed her to try. She missed the target the first several tries and the kick of the gun shocked her. Over and over he made her practice; reminding her that the time to correct her aim was now, when nothing was shooting back at her. By three she was hitting the center of the target 9 of ten times even after he had moved it back a few more feet. Ham called the day to an end. Criss was oddly disappointed, as she took apart and cleaned the gun and then replaced it in the box.

"If you leave a gun unloaded in a box you might as well not have one." Ham told her as she started to close the lid.

"How do I carry it?"

Ham looked her over. "If you are going to wear snug clothing then your weapon will show. If you want it hidden then you will need a jacket and a holster, or you will need to carry it at your ankle. I suggest for now you leave the safety on and keep it in that small bag you carry."

Criss nodded and reloaded the gun and made sure the safety was on and carried it to the front seat with her. She pulled her bag from the floor and dug out an envelope and dropped it on the seat and then gently laid the gun inside the bag.

"It won't go off I promise." Ham gave her a toothy grin. He picked up the envelope as he sat in the seat. "This the money?"

Criss nodded. "Yeah. If you need more, I can get it I just need a little time."

Ham nodded. "Well you learn better than I expected. You wanna meet next week same time I will teach you a bit more and maybe some other weapons."

Criss smiled. "I will learn everything you are willing to teach me."

Ham put the car into gear and pulled out of the dirt and then back into the abandoned neighborhood. "I believe you." He said after a moment. "And I am going to put that to the test."

Her routine changed a bit after that, she added the training with Ham and then late night meetings with the Los Angeles resistance to her gymnastics and fighting. Work at the club took on new meaning. Every interaction with a visitor drinker had the opportunity to provide intel to her new friends. Her new friends came with interesting challenges of their own, seems that there were several young men that were part of the resistance and fighting off their advances at the Club were just as challenging as not showing her disgust when a visitor flirted with her.

"C'mon Criss go with us." Rob begged.

Criss shook her head and sauntered back to the bar. It was the fifth time that evening that Rob had begged her to go clubbing with them and the fifth time she had turned him down. She returned to the table with the pitcher of beer that he and Kyle had ordered and set it down. "I cant tonight." She smiled trying not to tell him that he reminded her of her brother.

Rob pouted. "You always say that."

"It's always true. I have work tonight and then training tomorrow and I am not old enough to get into a club yet."

Kyle leaned back in seat. "Leave her alone Rob." He said but looked around the club without interest. Criss realized that Kyle though sweet was into only one girl, Elizabeth.

"Thanks Kyle."

"You're not helping." Rob argued punching his friend in the shoulder. "Cant you see that this girl needs some fun in her life?"

Kyle looked back at Criss and then shrugged. "Yeah, I think she does, but perhaps having you hit on her all night doesn't sound like fun. Maybe if you acted like her friend and not like a letch she would take you up on your offer."

Criss shook her head. "Don't blow my secret I can't go tonight. Next week if you behave." She winked at Rob and went back to her work.

Criss watched as the last of the guys left The Club and then locked the door behind them. Kyle had ushered Rob out of the building an hour earlier to hit the clubs downtown and finally the club was empty. Elias had disappeared into the back and that left Criss to clean the dinning area alone. She put on her headphones and then danced around the dinning area wiping tables and putting up chairs singing along to the music.

Elias leaned against the bar watching with a small smile as his employee danced around and cleaned the room. Her voice rang out Madonna's early hits and he chose to stop her before the first chorus of "Like a virgin." He tapped her on the shoulder and then laughed when she yanked off the earphones and flipped around to look at him. "Hey it is late go home and rest I will see you tomorrow."

"I am not finished." She gestured to the mostly cleaned room.

"I'll get it." He laughed. "You got some moves and nice voice. Maybe you could belt some out for us one night."

Criss laughed, "Yeah and I thought you liked customers."

"My business has improved twenty percent since you started. I think if you sing that it may double."

"Dream on Elias." She untied her apron and tucked it behind the bar and headed for the front door. "Good night." She sang to him on her way out.

The evening air was chilly, reminding her that she needed to take a jacket with her the next night. She headed down the street still smiling eager for bed. The street was empty, like most nights after two am, and she noticed the additional footsteps right away. Criss glanced over her shoulder and noticed two Visitors following her. She was only a few feet away from The Club and she felt nervous. The lights in the dinning room were out which meant that Elias was not in the main part of The Club and would not be able to hear her if she called. She plastered a smile on her face and looked again at the two visitors following her.

"What is your hurry?" Came a voice from behind her.

"I am tired going home." Criss said stopping. She glanced around her the way Matt had taught her making sure of her environment and then looked back at the two men. "Why are you out so late?"

"We were waiting for you."

"Me?" Criss laughed. "Whatever for?"

"We wanted to you know." The man raised his eyebrows.

Criss shook her head. "I'm sorry guys but I have a boyfriend."

"You don't act like you have a boyfriend. So he won't mind."

The second man smiled and nodded rapidly. "We want to see your body."

Criss shook her head, "I just want to go home."

The first guy shrugged. "You are out after curfew it would be a pity to arrest you, shut down The Club."

Criss looked down and then pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. "You just want to look?" She whispered and then looked at them. They nodded. "Okay," She let her voice shake and wondered if she would be able to get to the gun in her purse. "Not in the street. Over there." She pointed to the alley that ran behind The Club.

The two men nodded and waited for her to turn and head for the alley. Criss walked deep into the alley and looked around. No light and no one to hear. She pulled the gun from her purse and carefully pushed it into the waste band of her jeans as she turned to look back at the two men the gun hidden at the base of her spine. "What did you want me to do?"

The man stepped up and reached out to touch her cheek. "Just take off your clothes." He smiled his tongue flicked out and she felt a brief wetness on her cheek. She cringed away trying to pull her arm away and reach for the gun but he held her too tightly. "I said take off your clothes."

Criss nodded, and looked past him at the other man who was only a few feet away. The second man was several inches shorter than her and looked a lot smaller. The man who held her arm was the same height as her but looked tougher. She took a deep breath and realized that she would have to take him out first. She stepped back and started to reach for the bottom of her shirt and then before she could think she slammed the heel of her hand into the visitors nose and then spun around and kicked his legs from under him. The visitor fell to the ground with a huff and Criss jumped over him and headed to the second man, she had pulled the gun from her waste band and had it ready in her hand.

The second guard looked shocked and reached for his own weapon. Criss tried to take off the safety and aim the gun and realized she was going to be too late. She swung the hand with the gun and hit the man in the face. He grunted and fell. "We just want to look." He moaned his laser lost in the heaps of trash.

Criss raised the gun and was about to shoot when a kick in the middle of her back sent her flying into a dumpster. She grunted her gun clattered into the dark under the dumpster. The first guard she hit growled, her only warning before he kicked her again. She managed to roll with the kick so it didn't hurt as bad. She popped up onto her feet and spun to the guard again. As she had hoped the smaller one was still on the ground holding his torn up face. The other guard was the one to look out for. He smiled at her, his lips curling back over his teeth. "I like a girl with some spunk."

Criss took a step back and looked around again. Her gun was out of reach, and there was nothing but a few garbage bags in the alley. She took her stance and waited for him to move. She didn't wait long, he moved faster than she expected but he was gruff and had no style he punched at her and all she had to do was keep fast enough to avoid his fist. After several missed hits she struck back hitting him first in the face, her hand throbbed with the impact when his head twisted but he didn't even flinch looking back at her. She struck again her hands and feet connecting with him several times only to have him advance on her. He grabbed the front of her shirt and yanked, the fabric gave a tearing sound and spilt halfway to her waist when she tried to wrench away. "You are going to show us what human women look like." He snarled and raised his hand, it came hard against the left side of her face, and her entire body took the impact slamming into the dumpster with a huge crash. She caught her fall with her hands and pain shot up her right arm. Her gun was a few feet under the dumpster and she lunged for it. Her left hand closed around the reassuring coolness of the Glock and she pulled it out and started to swing around.

There was a soft popping sound and the Visitor that hit her fell over her legs. Criss squeaked and looked up. Ham was framed in a doorway, light shining from behind him. Criss panted looking first at Ham and then at the Visitor still trying to move at her feet. She raised her gun and pointed it at him.

"Wait." Ham said sternly. He stepped out of the doorway and over to her. He kicked the visitor off her legs and then reached down and pulled her to her feet pulling her gun from her hand.

"Give that back." She hissed turning a glare on him away from the visitor. "They were going to rape me." She whispered through clenched teeth.

Ham handed her his gun which had a much longer barrel than hers. "Use this, its silenced." He stepped back then and waited.

Criss looked down at the visitor she had been fighting. The skin on his face was torn and hung on his cheek. The green lizard like scales beneath shown in the dim light, her stomach threatened to heave. She knew that they were hiding their true self but had hoped it was not what she had been told. She leveled the gun at him and pulled the trigger. His body jerked once and she didn't wait before she stepped over him and walked to the other guard who was trying to get up.

"We just wanted to see." He said again staring pleadingly at her. She pulled the trigger and the gun hissed. His face was replaced by the visitor who had shot K.C. she pulled the trigger again. K.C.'s body bleeding over hers, his voice pleading for her to run. Over and over she pulled the trigger, the visitor before her jerked a few times and then stopped, but she continued to pull the trigger. Finally the gun clicked, the magazine was empty.

"You finished?" Ham asked quietly from behind her.

"Unless you have more bullets." She replied.

He reached out and took the gun from her hand. "Nope. No more to waste on this imbecile. Are you hurt?"

"I don't think so."

Ham turned her around so he could look at her. "You hit your head. Julie is in there go get checked out I will handle this." He gestured with his head to the open doorway.

"My gun?" She asked and was pleased when he placed it in her hand without question. She tucked it into her waste band, her right hand was throbbing. "Crap I hurt my hand."

"Go. Let Julie look you over."

Criss walked into the open doorway and was surprised to see Mike Donavan, Elias and Juliette Parrish eagerly watching the doorway with weapons drawn. "Hi." She said quietly and tried to smile only then realizing that her face was swelling.

"Criss? What the hell?" Elias was the first to drop his weapon and rush over to her. "What happened? How come you didn't go home?" He took a look at her ripped dirty shirt and at the bruising on her face and legs. He unbuttoned his shirt and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"Too many questions." Criss let out a sigh and gratefully held his shirt closed realizing how bad it must look that her shirt had been practically ripped off of her. "Ham told me to have you check me out." She looked at Julie.

Julie tucked her hand gun into the shoulder holster she was wearing and walked over to Criss. "Come sit down, you look like crap." Criss followed her to an old worn sofa and sat carefully. "Tell us what happened." She said, Mike handed her a bag and Julie pulled out a stethoscope and small pen light.

"Two of the visitor customers we had tonight were waiting for me. They ah… wanted me to." Criss looked up at Mike and Elias embarrassed. "Strip for them." She said finally.

"Did you bring them to the back door to get help?" Elias asked.

Criss shook her head. "I didn't know we had a back door over here, the kitchen entrance is on the other side." She flinched when Julie touched the sore spot on her face. "I just wanted them off the street so I could shoot them, I'm sorry I caused you trouble."

Mike laughed. "You have nothing to be sorry about." He sat on the couch next to her. "You seemed to handle yourself pretty well."

"I've been training. But none of my punches seemed to do any good. He barely felt them."

"That's because they have different weak points than we do." Ham said stepping inside and closing the door. "Kyle and I hid the bodies in trash sacks in the dumpster several alleys over. Most likely they won't be found."

Mike nodded and looked at Julie. "How is she?"

"She broke her hand and she is pretty banged up. She will hurt, but a cast and time you should be fine."

"I will need a new work shirt." Criss met Elias' gaze. "And maybe tomorrow off."

Elias nodded, "Yeah sure I guess that's one way to get a Saturday off." He walked over to her. "Come on I will take you home."

Julie handed her a few large white pills and carefully wrapped her hand with a firm bandage. Gave her clear instructions and then told her she would have one of the guys pick her up in the morning to get her hand x-rayed and then casted. Criss nodded and stood, she felt a little dizzy but managed to stay on her feet. "Thanks Ham." She said quietly as she passed him.

"When you are feeling better I will teach where to hit them so it makes a difference." He rested his hand on her shoulder. "Elias I will get her home you guys finish up here." He nodded at Elias and then with a gentle hand on her elbow guided her out the back door.

Once outside Criss took a long shuddering breath. "I am sorry. I didn't know you guys were there, I hope I didn't cause you any trouble."

"You handled yourself well. I didn't step in until I seen you were going to shoot him." Ham opened his car door for her. "The gun shots would have brought attention."

"You watched me fight with them?" She asked after he got in the car.

"Yes, and it takes a lot to impress me." He grinned at her. "But you tell anyone and I will deny it."

Criss smiled at him and leaned her head back against the seat. Her face and hand were throbbing and all she could think of was taking a shower and then crawling into bed with the medicine Julie had given her. It took only moments for them to reach her apartment. "How do you know where I live?" Criss asked.

"I check things out. Eat before you take that pill or you will be sorry." He waited for her to get out of the car and then leaned over the seat. "You did good." He gave her a toothy grin.

Criss shrugged. "I'm not dead or worse so I guess it was a success. See you tomorrow." She pushed the door shut and slowly climbed the stairs to her studio apartment.

The pills Julie had given her worked well and Criss fell into a troubled but painless sleep. Her dreams were haunted by noises of drilling and screaming, but hard as she try she couldn't wake from them, the angry face of the visitor looming over her threatening and spinning. His body covered her and she fought him off squirming in the bed until she finally pulled herself from the nightmare and sat up. The blankets were twisted around her waist and her hair hung in sweat soaked ringlets down her face and back. She took a few steadying breaths to remind herself that she was safe and then pushed back all the covers and climbed from the bed. Her legs and arms were covered in bruises of all shapes and her muscles ached like she had never felt before. Worst was her face, she stopped to stare in the mirror and realized that her face did look as bad as it felt. Her left eye was barely able to open and the entire side of her face was covered in a deep black bruise. For a moment she was grateful that Matthew and Mandy were not there and couldn't see the mess, and then she wished they were so she would have someone to complain to. She let out a sigh and headed out of the bathroom and to the kitchen.

Something was wrong. It was still dark showing that she hadn't slept that long and everything looked okay, but something was off. She turned on the light in the living area and looked around the room. There was some paint dust on the floor by the door, stepping closer she realized a shiny new brass deadbolt had been installed.

"Any moron off the street could get in here."

She let out a squeal and flipped around. Ham stood in the doorway of the kitchen, a coffee cup in hand. "I installed it why you were sleeping. Hope I didn't wake you."

"Are you watching out for me?" Criss would have smiled if it hadn't hurt so badly.

Ham shrugged. "Probably don't need to but I figured you could use a hand. Why are you living here all alone?"

"I told you my family is dead."

Ham nodded, proving that even though he accepted her answer he didn't fully believe her. "How are you feeling?"

She shook her head. "About as bad as I look." She started toward the kitchen walking around him as though his presence was natural. "Any of that coffee left?"

"Yeah. First time I have had cream in my coffee in a long time."

"Yeah well what good is money if you can't have cream in your coffee?" She tried to laugh but realized it would hurt too badly. She pulled a chipped coffee cup from the cupboard and poured herself a cup of the strong coffee and left the aroma wash over her.

"It's a little strong." Ham pulled out a chair at the worn dinner table and sat down. "So if you have money why the crap furniture?"


End file.
